Multivitamins Are Killer

Although convenient, multivitamins are a terrible substitute for the nutrients we would receive from everyday healthy foods. So why are so many Americans taking multivitamins daily? Recent research has shown that studies on many multivitamins are deceiving. It has been found that ‘junk’ vitamins are being used in many of their testing groups. Meaning that no matter the result, the study is completely useless. They publish information from the tests that have large health benefits in their results. They may not feel so bad about these false studies because the majority of americans do not do their research on multivitamins. And for those who do, they are being tricked by any industries that are using this type of testing style.

These deceiving studies are creating large profit for pharmacies everywhere. With most people being clueless to the facts, they are still purchasing multivitamins. The false studies are benefiting everyone involved in the business. In an article called ‘Americans Spend Billions on Vitamins and Herbs That Don’t Work’ by Cameron Scott, there are some eye opening statistics about multivitamins. All producers, suppliers and merchants are reeling in a great amount of profit. The merchant’s also include any type of store that sells multivitamins. Grocery stores are making a surprisingly large profit from common multivitamins. They make up for five percent of all sales from grocery stores. The profit they receive is a whopping ten times as high as those from groceries alone. The supplements in fact help with the sales of many small groceries. There is an estimated twenty-one billion dollars in profit from supplements expected in 2015.

Many people believe that taking multivitamins can help make up for a poor diet. Not only is this completely untrue but it in fact may be harming more than helping anyone. It has been found that most people are doing this completely on their own. They ignore the research and just because it says “vitamin” on a bottle, they will purchase it and believe it will be helpful. In an article written by, Stefanie Stickel called ‘Why Multivitamins Might Do More Harm Than Good’ there are some eye-opening statistics. A study that followed more than thirty-eight thousand women for twenty years showed that those who took vitamins daily actually died sooner than those who didn’t. For a small vitamin that’s supposed to be helping us, that a big scary result.

It is significantly better to receive nutrients through food rather than through a supplement. For example the amount of nutrients in an orange is much greater than a tablet of vitamin C. Not only restoring your body with vitamin C, an orange includes many other nutrients fulfilling your body. If we could all do our research and purchase healthy foods that supply our body with the required nutrients, we could save a lot of money. Not to mention stop wasting money on multivitamins that are not always effective, and may even be harming us.

Across the board, placebo controlled scientific studies have consistently showed that vitamin supplements do not prevent disease. And in some cases may even increase ones risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality. Not to mention if one eats three decent meals per day, even if only semi healthy, they will have most likely received all the nutrients required to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Half of all americans take multivitamins, and if any of them did the research they would find out the facts. Saving themselves money and creating a healthy habit for generations to come.

Works Cited

 Why Multivitamins Might Do More Harm Than Good. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2015.

Americans Spend Billions on Vitamins and Herbs That Don’t Work. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2015.