A recent study touted as the largest study ever of multivitamins in older women found that the group taking the multivitamin did not have lower levels of cancer, heart disease or other cardiovascular problems. Does this mean you are wasting your money and misplacing your efforts on trying to improve your health by taking a multivitamin? You may be surprised to find out I think this is exactly what most who read this article are doing! Find out if you are one of those people wasting your money and efforts by taking a multivitamin…

If you are not confused as to whether taking a multivitamin is worthy or worthless, then you have not been paying attention to the ongoing debate within the health care field. Most people logically conclude that taking an extra dose of vitamins and minerals has to be of some benefit, but studies like the one cited above seem to disprove this belief. And, more and more health care professionals have written the multivitamin off as worthless and a waste of your money. Rarely will you get a robust recommendation from your health care provider to take a multivitamin. Most recommendations are lukewarm, at best.

I am going to help you sort through some of the more important facts of this debate in order to give you the ability to make a better decision as to whether you are one of those who are indeed wasting your money by taking a multivitamin. When you finish reading this article you will be able to defend your position as to why you are taking a multivitamin backed by more than just esoteric hope.

Studies Show Multivitamins Are Worthless

The studies continue to come in and the verdict is not good for multivitamins. The most recent study I highlighted in the introduction of this article is just one of a number of studies showing that multivitamins do not seem to impact disease outcomes. Since the health care profession works under the illusion that they only practice “studied or scientific” medicine, it is becoming more and more difficult for them to recommend the use of a multivitamin.

Let me tell you with vigor and confidence that these studies tell you very little about the effects of multivitamins on your future health. At most, they imply that taking a one-a-day type of store-bought multivitamin is basically worthless for most of the U.S. population. Let me give you some sound logic to support these bold statements.

The newest multivitamin study was eight years in duration and included a large number of postmenopausal women (161,808). It is important for you to know this study was not meant to evaluate multivitamins, which you would never know after listening to the television or reading print articles. Most stories began with, “The largest study ever of multivitamins…” which was misleading, at best. The investigators, as part of the many questions included in the survey of these women, simply asked if the participant took a multivitamin. They had no idea as to what multivitamin was taken or how often. From this embarrassingly limited information the investigators decided that they could increase their number of authored papers by pretending to evaluated multivitamin use and the effect they might have on cancer and cardiovascular disease.

After about eight years the findings were that cancer deaths and cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke) were no different in multivitamin users as compared to nonusers. At first I laughed when I found out about this study but then my laughter fell into tears when I realized that every major news organization ran yet another negatively unfounded story about vitamins. The waters had been muddied once again.

Let me share with you, however, why I laughed at first. Does anyone out there with more than two or three firing neurons really believe that complicated diseases like cancer or heart disease can be prevented by taking any one substance? Think about that for a moment. How many hours a day is your body subjected to high stress, poor diet, chemicals, processed foods, toxins, lack of exercise, lack of restful sleep, poor digestion, and poor genetic traits? Yeah, that is right, all day and every day. So, who was the Brainiac (Superman fans will know that reference) who decided that they wanted to see if throwing a minimal dose multivitamin down someone’s throat once a day (and in some cases only a few times week) would counteract the effects of all these toxicities of the full day? Talk about the proverbial fly against the windshield! The premise on its own merits is absolutely ridiculous.

One of the articles I read regarding the reporting of this study quoted a nutrition professor at a well known university as saying this study was important because it involved so many women. What difference does it make whether a hundred, a hundred thousand or a million flies are thrown against a windshield? I guarantee the outcome every single time; the fly is going to lose! I am so glad I was not subjected to a nutrition professor like that when I got my degree.

So, does the confluence of these poorly designed studies prove that taking a multivitamin is worthless? Not by a long shot. What, though, should you do when you read headlines like this? To answer this, you have to understand the reality that practicing “studied medicine” is a gross misnomer.

Studied Medicine…Wink, Wink!

We have been conditioned to believe that the way to tell if a substance has merit in the health care arena is to look at studies. Our misconception, especially amongst health care professionals, is that studies give us the facts needed to be confident about our views regarding any given recommendations. There are multiple reasons why this view of practicing “studied medicine” is a misconception, but I will share the most important one with you. The typical definition of a “good study” in medicine is the one that supports the reader’s predetermined beliefs. A “bad or worthless study” does just the opposite. I fully realize that this makes me look like a hypocrite as I can envision many of those reading these last statements thinking, “Isn’t that exactly what you are doing, Dr. Zimmer?” Let me illustrate why it is not.

The vast majority of health professionals (when I say vast majority I mean almost all) NEVER investigate the contents of a study. They only read the abstract or conclusion section of the abstract. In other words, they read the summary. They do not take the time to evaluate the merits of the study. Thus, if the study supports what they already believe they mentally file away the information as evidence of the correctness of their position. If the study presents a contrary position they dismiss it as only being one study; which, of course, proves nothing. It is kind of comical, though, that when it comes to anything natural one negative study is enough.

Let me give you a perfect example to illustrate my above point. The COX2 anti-inflammation drugs Vioxx and Bextra have been taken off of the market because they cause heart attacks and strokes. The studies strongly suggesting these life-threatening effects were published about 4 years prior to the pharmaceutical companies “voluntarily” (excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth a little) taking them off of the market. The medical community completely ignored these studies. I was warning patients about this danger over 1 year prior to them being taken off of the market. Why? Because I found out about the alarming published studies and read them. They scared the heck out of me!

Unfortunately, the saga is not over since a drug in the same class as Vioxx and Bextra, Celebrex, is still on the market and being prescribed without warning by doctors every single day. Here is where my point is made. The studies suggest that Celebrex causes the same problems as Vioxx and Bextra, albeit at possibly a smaller scale. NO studies prove the safety of this drug’s use long-term. NONE! So, if doctors really practice studied medicine how can they even begin to defend the prescribing of Celebrex to any of their patients? They are dismissing the negative studies and embracing the ones which agree with their current position. This is hardly the practice of following the “studied” evidence.

So, how am I different? When I hear of a negative study regarding a supplement or drug I get that study and find out if it has merit. Equally as important, though, I look at the studies showing benefits from supplements or drugs in order to determine the magnitude of that benefit. This is important because many times the benefit “proven” from a study is clinically worthless. Great examples are the effectiveness claims for weight loss supplements and drugs. One popular weight loss drug that is now sold over the counter got FDA approval after studies suggested patients taking it lost only 2 pounds a month more than those taking a placebo. Oh, by the way, it also disrupted the absorption of certain vitamins and caused “flatulence with greasy discharge.” Sign me up! But it has FDA approval just like Celebrex! Thank you, FDA! You rock!

To clarify, I am not trying to make the point that studies are basically worthless in determining the benefit or negative effect of something. I am suggesting that studies be given proper weight and tempered enthusiasm. The elevation of this poorly designed multivitamin study to headline status in the news failed on both accounts.

Is Your Multivitamin Worthless?

Before I reveal why many of you are wasting your money on taking multivitamins, you need to know that the following information is based mainly on clinical experience, logic, common sense and critical thinking. It is not based on proven scientific studies. Why? Because there will never be a study showing conclusively that multivitamins provide health benefits. The reason is that it is simply impossible to perform a study like this because there are too many variables (age, sex, weight, stress levels, diet, digestive health, disease states, exercise, genetic factors, type of multivitamin, etc.), it would take decades to perform the study, and it would cost many tens of millions of dollars to complete. The study will never be done and anyone with a modicum of intellectual honesty will not argue this point. Let me give you some guidance. Critically evaluate my position and if you agree with it, take action for your health. If you disagree, let me know why so I can better evaluate the strength of my position.

I want to be bold right from the start. If you are taking an over-the-counter, store-bought multivitamin, you are wasting your money and potentially causing ill effects to your long-term health. The same is true for the 100% RDA/DV (Recommended Daily Allowance/Daily Value) multivitamins purchased on the internet. For a very detailed description as to why I urge you to go to www.ZimmerNutrition.com and listen to or download my FREE CD/mp3 recording: The Vitamin Answer Book. In the limited space of this article I will make two very important and logical points for your consideration.

Store-bought multivitamins mostly contain 100% RDA/DV of many vitamins and minerals. Somehow the fallacy that taking more than the RDA/DV can be dangerous to your health has permeated the medical community. This has led to the recommendation to take the cheapest multivitamin which provides no more than 100% of the RDA/DV. The fact is that many thousands of studies have been done showing health benefits from taking various vitamins and minerals. Guess how many of those use only the RDA/DV of those substances? If you said very few you are right. Thus, the overwhelming majority of studies utilize much higher than the RDA/DV but somehow taking more than this amount has become a “dangerous” practice.

Now let me ask you a number of important and revealing questions. Do you believe that a 4 year old would or should have the same nutrient need as a 40 year old? Would a teenager have the same need as a 60 year old? How about a male compared to a female? Would someone under a ton of stress have the same need as someone under little stress? Would someone who eats lots of fruits and vegetables and gets regular exercise have the same need as a McDonald’s groupie or couch potato? The answer to all of these questions is the same. NO! But, the RDA/DV is the same for all of these groups. Thus, can anyone in good conscious declare that the RDA/DV suggests an amount needed for optimal health? Or, does it give you information about the minimum amount needed to stave off deficiency diseases like scurvy, beriberi, pellagra, or Ricketts? The answer is clear, is it not? The RDA/DV has absolutely NOTHING to do with the safety of any nutrient or with the optimal intake of anything.

So, when you buy a store-bought 100% RDA/DV multivitamin you are not even coming close to taking something to optimize your health benefit. This is especially true if you are suffering from poor digestion, high stress or a disease state. Relying on a 100% RDA/DV makes very little sense if you are trying to impact your overall health.

To me, the most compelling reason to stop taking store-bought multivitamins is the potential they have to promote imbalances within your digestive system. When you examine your store-bought multivitamin you will discover that it is supplied as a hard tablet. The chances that this tablet will not fully dissolve in your stomach are greatly increased as we age and especially for those taking antacids or heartburn medications. Why, because antacids lower stomach acid which reduces the effectiveness of stomach digestion.

The danger is two-fold. First, vitamins and minerals are absorbed into the body from the small intestine. If your hard tablet does not fully dissolve in the stomach the first problem is that the vitamins and minerals supplied in that piece of granite cannot make it into your body. You just wasted your money big time! The second and most dangerous aspect is that free vitamins and minerals should not be supplied to the colon (large intestine). Doing so can feed yeast (Candida), opportunistic bacteria, or create good vs. bad bacterial imbalances. Consider that a portion of your hard multivitamin makes it into the colon and lets off small amounts of nutrients for the bacterial/fungal smorgasbord. Over a long period of time it is completely logical, if not probable, that you could negatively affect the ecology of your colon and not for the better. The real danger is that this occurs over a long period of time. Thus, the eventual symptoms you get will never be attributed to the taking of a multivitamin.

Every time you take a store-bought multivitamin you are taking a chance with your health. At best your body is getting the minimal amount of vitamins and minerals which can be expected to do little for your health. Secondly, you are potentially not absorbing the nutrients into your body which means you are wasting your money. Finally, your body’s inability to absorb those nutrients may lead to a change in gut ecology producing an unhealthy bacterial/fungal imbalance. I didn’t even get into the food colorings, preservatives, and chemicals found in most of these brands. Now, someone point out the benefit of taking a store-bought multivitamin to me that outweighs these negatives.

What Multivitamin Should You Take?

Every company selling supplements claims to provide the highest quality product. The fact that prices vary so significantly should clue you into the fact that this simply cannot be true. So, how do you determine which product gives you the highest quality ingredients and does it really make a difference for your over-all health? To answer these questions I have created a comparison between some of the more popular multivitamin products so you can make a decision based on facts as to which product is right for you.

As is true with just about any supplement, some factors are more important than others when trying to determine which product will give you the best support for improving or maintaining good health. I have singled out the most important factors you need to consider when trying to come to the decision as to which multivitamin you will choose. As you are about to see, there is a huge difference among multivitamin products sold in stores and on the internet. The important factors you should use to compare multivitamins are described below and can be found on the chart that follows.

Therapeutic Amounts of B Vitamins: B vitamins are the most important group of vitamins found in a multi. The reason is because B vitamins are involved in all of the most important reactions of the body. This includes, but is not limited to, reactions for energy production, brain function, heart function, immune activity, hormone production/metabolism, and detoxification! Most Americans have an increased need for B vitamins due to high levels of stress. In this part of the comparison I determine whether or not a daily dose gives you an amount of B vitamins that could actually make a difference in the status of this important class of vitamins.

Active Form of B12: Vitamin B12 is arguably the most important of the B vitamins. It can be supplied in the inactive (cyanocobalamin) or in one of its active (methylcobalamin) forms. The active form is the same form used within the body whereas the inactive form needs to be changed into the active form by the body after consumption. It should be obvious that the inactive form is much less expensive. So, the only manufacturers who utilize the active form are those more concerned with quality than profit.

Contains High Quality Minerals: As far as I am concerned the mineral content is the most important factor when determining multivitamin quality. The reason is that minerals are hard to get in the American diet and poor quality forms of supplemental minerals simply do not absorb well into your body. Studies show that minerals bound to amino acids have far superior absorption into the body. The raw material amino acid minerals cost way more than the cheap oxide, gluconate or elemental forms of the minerals. And, in general, minerals are the constituents found in multivitamins that drive up the price. Thus, companies knowingly sacrifice quality for profit when they do not use amino acid minerals. The bottom line is that you lose out on the most important ingredient found in a multivitamin when a cheap form is utilized.

Natural Vitamin E/Mixed Tocopherols: This comparison is actually done in two parts. The first is whether the product uses the natural form of vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) or the form not found in nature (dl-alpha-tocopherol). The second is whether the supplement supplies the other "mixed" tocopherol forms (beta, gamma, delta) which is the way vitamin E is found in nature. Studies show that the unnatural form does not work as well as the natural form (what a shocker!). Thus, companies using the unnatural form are concerned with one thing when it comes to their product and that is profit. It also makes sense that the vitamin E should be supplied as it is found in nature with all of the fractions (alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocopherols). Manufacturers supplying these fractions go beyond what is average to improve their product's quality.

Worthless Extra Ingredients: These are the things put in multivitamins that have absolutely ZERO benefit to you. They are added simply to make you think you are getting some extra therapeutic value in order to get you to buy their product. Typically, these are herbals or other substances that if supplied in high dose could be of benefit to you. However, they are supplied in such incredibly low doses in a multivitamin that they are worthless. Thus, they are added to multivitamins not because anyone would expect you to gain a benefit but because they make you think the product has added value. In other words, they are intentionally misleading you. The best examples can be found in age specific formulations that contain herbs like gingko biloba for memory or black cohosh for menopausal symptoms. Worthless!

Toxic Ingredients: These are ingredients that have no business being put into any multivitamin including food colorings, preservatives, sugars, or other chemicals. They are used to make the product look more attractive, taste better, reduce loss of product due to breakage or artificially prolong the shelf life of the product. None of these have anything to do with your health. They are put into the product simply to increase profits. Period!
Cost: How many capsules or tablets do you get and for what price? You have to then determine whether quality makes a difference to you and which product provides the best combination of price and quality. The equivalent cost shows the cost of the product if they all had equal amounts of pills in the containers.

Dr. Zimmer's Analysis:

The only multiple vitamin that passes all of the tests in this comparison is Alpha Base. It is the only product that supplies all of the minerals bound to amino acids, contains the active form of vitamin B12, contains mixed tocopherol vitamin E, has NO worthless ingredients, and contains NO toxic ingredients. If it is important for you to take the best product then you should choose Alpha Base.

If you have decided that the differences I describe in this comparison are not important to you then my suggestion would be to take the Puritan's Pride products. Although they contain TONS of worthless ingredients and the cheapest forms of minerals, at least they contain a good amount of B vitamins and they are cheap!

I cannot understand why anyone would choose to take Centrum or One-A-Day type products.

I strongly recommend that you download or listen to my FREE CD "The Vitamin Answer Book" to learn even more about picking a good multivitamin.