Multivitamins are useless

One of the wastes repeatedly denounced by the great expert Silvio Garattini is that of multivitamins. They are sold in all pharmacies in enormous quantities, also because their marketing and advertising campaigns are based on a fake news: They don't make you sick. The mirage is sweetened on the packaging with phrases like "to strengthen the immune system," another completely unfounded claim. In Europe, on average, one in five people consumes multivitamins, wasting money, yet field research only confirms their uselessness.

Multivitamins, in particular, are consumed with the belief that they can protect against seasonal ailments, such as influenza, bronchitis, and even heart disease and the risk of memory loss. Several American studies, involving approximately 6000 doctors and 450 people over a twelve-year period, as noted by Professor Carlo Selmi, a physician-researcher in Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at Humanitas, and Dr. Manuela Pastore, a dietitian at Humanitas, have shown that daily multivitamin intake offered no benefit in preventing these types of diseases. Researchers at the Veronesi Foundation agree, not only confirming the uselessness of multivitamins, but also highlighting that some supplements can be harmful for those without deficiencies. For example, the use of beta-carotene by people who smoke tobacco or have occupational exposure to asbestos can increase the risk of lung cancer. Vitamin A supplements can reduce bone mineral density, and high doses can be hepatotoxic (cause liver damage) or teratogenic (cause fetal harm). Vitamin D, in high doses, can increase the risk of hypercalcemia and kidney stones. The point is that, as the task force points out, to date there is no robust, long-term evidence of the beneficial effects of vitamins in a healthy population. The same goes for some vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K: they are fat-soluble, meaning they are transported to cells via fats circulating in the blood. If accumulated in the liver and adipose tissue, they can cause damage. This is in contrast to water-soluble vitamins, whose excess, while causing an overload, can be eliminated.

There are also certain pathological conditions in which vitamin supplements become dangerous (for example, kidney and liver disorders), and some of their substances can interact with medications, rendering them ineffective and toxic. In France, a renowned virologist, Océane Sorel, has spearheaded a campaign to debunk the false myths surrounding the use of multivitamins, pointing out that everything these products offer, in theory and in practice, is normally found in food. The only exceptional cases in which multivitamins can be requested and considered useful are those prescribed by a doctor, such as during pregnancy or in the case of elderly people following a particular diet.

Read also:

• Supplements: a waste worth 5 billion euros a year
• The ten most effective natural supplements
• Natural Antihistamines: The 10 Most Effective