Do Vitamins and Supplements Boost Health?

Americans spend billions of dollars each year on dietary supplements, but there’s some debate as to whether such pills, capsules and powders offer any true nutritional benefit. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than half of the nation’s adults take supplements, most in the form of a daily multivitamin.

There are 13 vitamins your body absolutely needs to function, including vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate). But are nutritional supplements necessary? Tarini Anand, M.D., an internal medicine doctor with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, says most adults with a balanced diet don’t need to take dietary supplements.

“A variety of natural foods, rather than supplements, is the best source for getting all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need to stay healthy,” Dr. Anand says. “Vitamins are by no means a substitute for healthy eating.”

Eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, legumes, fish, whole grains and dairy should be enough to keep your vitamin balances in check. Focusing on consuming nutrition superfoods can also help boost your diet. In addition, getting a little sunshine each day ensures you get enough vitamin D, which promotes calcium absorption and bone health. 

When Supplements Can Help

Though not necessary for most people, Lisa Hladik, M.D., an internal medicine doctor with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, says people with chronic health conditions may benefit from supplements.

“For very specific health conditions and lifestyles, such as chronic low-calorie diets and malabsorption problems, supplements can make a difference,” Dr. Hladik says. “The bottom line is don’t self-treat any health condition. If you don’t feel well, don’t just start taking a supplement. Talk to your doctor.”

Pregnant women or those who are planning to get pregnant should take 400 micrograms of folic acid, also known as folate or vitamin B9, daily to prevent birth defects. Vegans and vegetarians may need supplemental B12, as this vitamin is found only in animal products. If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, you may benefit from calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Proceed With Caution

Many supplements such as St. John’s Wort and ginko biloba can interfere with how your body processes medications, increasing or decreasing their potency. Make sure to check with your doctor to see if there are any drug interaction problems before taking a new supplement.

Taking too much of one nutrient can also cause a health issue, Dr. Hladik says. Many vitamins are water-soluble and get rinsed out of the body, but some, such as vitamins A, D and E, are fat-soluble and can be stored in fat cells. A build-up of these vitamins can cause toxicity and major health problems.

“More is definitely not better in the case of vitamin supplements,” Dr. Hladik says. “If you’re taking a vitamin supplement or daily multivitamin, make sure you stick to the recommended daily allowance and don’t go for the mega-doses.”

Another issue to be aware of is the fact that dietary supplements are not approved by the government for safety and effectiveness. Only if the dietary supplement contains a new ingredient does that ingredient get reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA does have the ability to remove a supplement from store shelves if there’s a safety risk associated with it, but there is no pre-market review.

A yearlong federal investigation into the dietary supplement industry made headlines in November 2015 when there was a widespread crackdown on the sale of certain supplements. The United States Department of Justice filed criminal and civil enforcement actions against 117 companies and individuals for selling tainted or misleading products, many of which were weight loss-related.

Being careful about what supplements you purchase is an important step in safeguarding your health. Dr. Hladik says it’s also good to know that, for many people, simply taking a new vitamin can elicit a strong placebo response.

“Although there’s no proven benefit to taking most supplements, studies show the placebo effect of taking a pill can make you feel up to 30 percent better,” Dr. Hladik says. “If you feel better from a supplement, I wouldn’t tell you to stop as long as you stick to the recommended daily allowance.”

One way to tell if a supplement has been vetted for safety and quality is to look for the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention label on the packaging. USP is a scientific non-profit organization that sets standards for the quality and purity of medicines, food ingredients and dietary supplements. Make sure to avoid any supplements that claim to have instant results or claim to be a cure-all for disease. Red flags also include claims about limited availability or no risk, money-back guarantees.