Skip NavigationFind a DoctorAppointmentsLogin to MyChartSearch Search Menu About About Johns Hopkins Medicine Centers & Departments Patient Safety & Quality Maps & Directions News & Publications Commitment to Community For the Media Careers Contact Us Make a Gift Hopkins Medicine Home I Want To... Find a Doctor Request an Appointment Refer a Patient Apply for a Job Make a Gift Get a Second Opinion Pay My Bill Health Health Home Healthy Aging Healthy Heart Healthy Sleep Healthy Woman Articles and Answers Healthy Living Health Library Health Seminars I Want to... Find a Doctor Request an Appointment Pay My Bill MyChart Login Search the Health Library Get the facts on diseases, conditions, tests and procedures. Patient Care Patient Care Home Health Information Diseases & Conditions For Health Professionals International Patients Health Seminars MyChart Patient Education I Want To... Find a Doctor Request an Appointment Refer a Patient Find Patient Care Locations Attend a Health Seminar Pay My Bill Search Clinical Trials Find a Doctor Find a doctor at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center or Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. Español Português Research Research Home Advancements in Research Research Topics Research Centers Core Facilities About Our Faculty Resources Events Calendar I Want To... Search Clinical Trials Search Core Facilities Find Research Faculty View Calendar Make a Gift Find Research Faculty Enter the last name, specialty or keyword for your search below. School of Medicine School of Medicine Home Students Faculty Residents & Fellows Health Professionals Alumni & Friends Schools Departments Institute for Nursing Apply For Admissions I Want to... Find a Faculty Director Apply for Admission Take CME Courses Apply to Graduate Medical Education Read Hopkins Medicine Magazine Make a Gift Submit a Kudos Announcement Apply for Admission M.D. Program M.D./P.H.D. Program Graduate Programs Allied Health Professionals Healthy AgingHealthy BodyHealthy MindHealthy ConnectionsFamily Caregiver ResourcesDiseases & ConditionsResearch & ResourcesHealthy BodyHome > Health > Healthy Aging > Healthy Body Is There Really Any Benefit to Multivitamins? A recent look at multivitamins by Johns Hopkins researchers shows that there’s no proof of benefit, but there is evidence of possible harm from high doses of certain vitamin supplements. Find out the one supplement deemed beneficial—and how others failed What the Experts Do Healthy Food Instead of Supplements “I don’t take any supplements routinely,” says Larry Appel, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research. “I try to eat three healthy meals a day to get the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients I need.” How he does it: Plenty of produce. “I aim for two or more servings of fruits or vegetables at every meal,” he says. “I enjoy salads and have one for lunch or dinner several times a week.” Low-fat dairy and whole grains. “Low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt provide calcium, magnesium, potassium and other nutrients,” he says. “I have cereal with milk for breakfast a few times a week. And I have yogurt sometimes too.” Protein. “At home we usually have fish or chicken for dinner. I am not a vegetarian; rather, I eat minimal meat,” Appel says. Some fish, such as salmon, are a good source of healthful omega-3 fatty acids. Half of all American adults—including 70 percent of those age 65 and older—take a multivitamin or another vitamin or mineral supplement regularly. The total price tag exceeds $12 billion per year—money that Johns Hopkins nutrition experts say might be better spent on nutrient-packed foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. In an editorial in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine titled “Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements,” Johns Hopkins researchers reviewed evidence about supplements, including three very recent studies: An analysis of research involving 450,000 people, which found that multivitamins did not reduce risk for heart disease or cancer. A study that tracked the mental functioning and multivitamin use of 5,947 men for 12 years found that multivitamins did not reduce risk for mental declines such as memory loss or slowed-down thinking. A study of 1,708 heart attack survivors who took a high-dose multivitamin or placebo for up to 55 months. Rates of later heart attacks, heart surgeries and deaths were similar in the two groups. The Vitamin Verdict The researchers concluded that multivitamins don’t reduce the risk for heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline (such as memory loss and slowed-down thinking) or an early death. They also noted that in prior studies, vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements appear to be harmful, especially at high doses. “Pills are not a shortcut to better health and the prevention of chronic diseases,” says Larry Appel, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research. “Other nutrition recommendations have much stronger evidence of benefits—eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugar you eat.” The exception is supplemental folic acid for women of child-bearing potential, Appel says. “Folic acid prevents neural tube defects in babies when women take it before and during early pregnancy. That’s why multivitamins are recommended for young women.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all women of reproductive age get 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. The amount of iron in a multivitamin may also be beneficial for women of child-bearing potential, Appel adds. “I don’t recommend other supplements,” Appel says. “If you follow a healthy diet, you can get all of the vitamins and minerals you need from food.” Definitions Whole grains: Grains such as whole wheat, brown rice and barley still have their fiber-rich outer shell, called the bran, and inner germ. It provides vitamins, minerals and good fats. Choosing whole grain side dishes, cereals, breads and more may lower the risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer and improve digestion, too. Saturated fat: A type of fat found in abundance in butter, whole milk, ice cream, full-fat cheese, fatty meats, poultry skin, and palm and coconut oils. Saturated fat raises levels of heart-threatening LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. It can also interfere with your body’s ability to absorb blood sugar easily. Limiting saturated fat can help control your risk for heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids (oh-may-ga three fah-tee a-sids): Healthy polyunsaturated fats that the body uses to build brain-cell membranes. They’re considered essential fats because our body needs them but can’t make them on its own; we must take them in through food or supplements. A diet rich in omega-3s—found in fatty fish, like salmon, tuna and mackerel, as well as in walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil—and low in saturated fats may help protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. You May Also Like ABCs of Eating Smart for a Healthy Heart Following a heart-healthy diet can be easy when you know the basics of eating wisely. Johns Hopkins researchers have come up with diet guidelines to protect your heart. Take Your Diet to the Mediterranean It’s an easy (and delicious!) change that can turn your diet into a disease-fighting tool. See what’s on the menu—and how to bring it to your kitchen, with the help of a Johns Hopkins expert. How to Read Food Labels for a Heart-Healthy Diet What’s worth knowing about the first ingredient listed on a food label? Learn how food labels can benefit your heart. Health Seminars The Skinny on Healthy Eating: What is Good, What to Avoid and How Gluten My Be Affecting You Losing Weight and Lowering Risk: What You Need to Know about Women's Cancer and Nutrition Show Me More... Watch an online Health Seminar Sign up for the Your Health E-newsletter Get news you can use in Johns Hopkins Health Join the Healthy Living Program Stay Informed Sign up now for our free monthly e-newsletter and get our exclusive Guide for Caregivers as an added bonus. Find a Doctor Search for a Johns Hopkins expert by last name, specialty or other keyword. Search the Health Library Get the facts on diseases, conditions, tests and procedures. Follow Johns Hopkins MedicineFacebookTwitterLinkedInGoogle+YouTubeContact InformationView our phone directory or find a patient care location.Notices & Policies (Patients & Health Plan Members) Language Assistance Available: Español አማርኛ 繁體中文 Français Tagalog Русский Português Italiano Tiếng Việt Ɓàsɔ́ɔ̀-wùɖù-po-nyɔ̀ Igbo asusu èdè Yorùbá বাংলা 日本語 한국어 Kreyòl Ayisyen العربية Deutsch Polski ગુજરાતી ภาษาไทย اُردُو فارسی हिंदी Deitsch ខ្មែរ © The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System. All rights reserved.
