Doctors have a little bit of advice for the consumers of the world; stop buying vitamins.
For the past few years studies have shown that disease isn’t prevented by vitamins or mineral supplements. An editorial titled, “Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements” published in Tuesday’s edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine urging consumers to stop spending their hard earned cash on pills that aren’t helping their health.
According to the editorial U.S. consumers spent 28 billion on vitamins in 2010 when most of the vitamins and minerals they need they get from food. According to the LA Times, a study involving close to 6,000 male doctors over 65 found that men who took a daily multivitamin were no better off in terms of cognitive function and verbal memory men who took a placebo. The study tracked the participants for 12 years.
Another study testing whether a multivitamin could prevent serious heart problems in patients who already had one heart attack proved the supplement didn’t help with heart health according to USA Today.
The editorial also found many vitamins offer no clear benefit to a person’s health. However some vitamins are rumored to increase risk of premature death including Vitamin E and Vitamin A. The writers still aren’t sure about Vitamin D; trials of whether or not it helps prevent falls in older consumers have resulted in mixed results.