Are Vitamin Supplements Really Beneficial?

Millions of men and women take a daily vitamin supplement. Whether it's a vitamin C, vitamin D or a multivitamin, the general belief is that taking these supplements will help you meet your daily intake of the respective vitamin or nutrient. Unfortunately, though, there's new evidence suggesting that vitamin supplements offer little-to-no benefit. In fact, some could potentially do more harm than good. 

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), vitamin supplements -- especially calcium and vitamin D -- offer no tangible health benefits. After analyzing data from dozens of studies involving more than 50,000 men and women, researchers concluded that participants who took vitamin supplements experienced no benefits over their counterparts who didn't take the supplements.

Furthermore, some participants who took vitamin D supplements actually experienced increased rates of hip fractures.

After hearing this, you may assume that other factors like gender, activity level and diet played a role in these findings. However, researchers say the findings remain true even after accounting for external factors such as these.

"In the US, no dietary supplements are pre-screened for safety and efficacy," said S. Bryn Austin, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "What that means is the FDA and consumers have no way to know if what's in the bottle or box is what's on the label. There's no way to know for sure that what's in the product is safe."

Statistics show that roughly 170 million Americans take a dietary supplement. But those supplements may not offer the health benefits under which they are marketed. In addition to the study mentioned above, several other studies have found that dietary and vitamin supplements offer questionable benefits at best. And some may actually increase a person's risk of disease or illness.

The bottom line is that you should think twice before taking a vitamin supplement. Just because it's labeled as "vitamin C," doesn't necessarily mean that it will raise your body's level of the aforementioned vitamin. As revealed in this study, many vitamin supplements have no effect on a person's health. So, consider increasing your intake of vitamins and nutrients through dieting instead of supplements. Eating more citrus fruits, for instance, is a sure-fire way to get more vitamin C. With food sources, vitamins are absorbed more efficiently by the body; thus, resulting in greater health benefits.