More than half of Americans take a supplement at least once a month with the goal of improving their health.
But a leading doctor has now suggested that taking pills may be fruitless, claiming there is a “lack” of evidence that any vitamin or mineral could benefit you.
Dr. Mike Varshavski, a family doctor and internet personality, said last week on a popular podcast that he has never seen a study showing that healthy adults need to take a supplement, despite analyzing hundreds of years of medical research.
He said Americans can get all the nutrients their bodies need by eating a balanced diet, with the exception of a small number of people with specific medical conditions.
Worse, he suggested that supplements could actually harm people by leading them to postpone behaviors that have been shown to improve health, such as diet and exercise, out of a false sense of security.
Dr Mike Varshavski, a family doctor, said there was no clear clinical benefit to taking supplements.
The industry is gaining value in the U.S. amid a trend of people taking supplements to combat deficiencies and increase longevity.
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, he said: ‘Supplements, supplemental vitamins, are not necessary the vast majority of the time.
“The evidence is lacking for almost all supplements, unless you have a very specific reason for needing to take them.”
“And what I’ve learned over my ten years as a doctor… is that unless we’re sure of some benefit, introducing new things, distracting people from things that work, is not a good solution.”
The supplement industry is gaining popularity in the United States, doubling in a decade to reach an estimated value of $40.9 billion last year.
The companies say multivitamin supplements fill the gap for people who don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, reducing the risk of heart and brain disease, as well as a number of illnesses. cancers.
Dr. Mike appeared on the Diary of a CEO podcast where he discussed supplements.
But this is rarely confirmed in trials, including a meta-analysis involving 450,000 people in 2013 that found that regularly taking a multivitamin did not reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer or cognitive decline.
In cases where multivitamins seemed to improve health, it was not clear whether this was due to the pills or another factor, such as exercise.
Dr. Mike added: “You can get all your nutrients, unless you have a specific medical condition, from food.”
‘(Supplements) will make you stop doing things that are healthy for you because you think you can take a shortcut.
‘(And) you’re spending your limited healthcare budget on things that are very expensive, making a lot of promises, and what worries me the most is when we get into the space where people say you need supplements and not real medical treatments. for conditions that bother or affect them.’
Patients with conditions such as iron deficiency anemia (or lack of iron) can supplement this mineral to increase their levels and improve energy levels, while pregnant women are recommended to take a daily dose of folic acid to prevent defects brain in babies.
But the evidence for supplements for people with other conditions is not as strong, even for type 2 diabetics who can take supplements like zinc.
The American Diabetes Association, which is at the forefront of research, does not recommend it, stating, “Research on many supplements is inconclusive.”
Dr. Mike also warned that supplements carry risks because they can interact with medications the patient is already taking or, because they are unregulated, contain more of the substance than the label suggests.
Too much vitamin B, for example, can cause inflammation in the body, while high levels of vitamin A can cause organ damage.
Experts advise patients to talk to their doctor before starting or stopping taking a supplement.