JAMA Urges Adults to Take Daily Multivitamin
June, 2002
Even people
who eat a normal diet may not be getting enough of certain
vitamins, according to researchers. The elderly and those who
follow restrictive diets often face the risk of vitamin
deficiency.
Because low vitamin intake has been linked to a host of
illnesses, Drs. Kathleen M. Fairfield and Robert H. Fletcher of
Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, recommend that
everybody--regardless of age or health status--take a
daily
multivitamin.
In two
articles in the June 19, 2002 issue of The Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA), Fletcher and Fairfield
reviewed studies published between 1966 and 2002 that
investigated the links between vitamin intake and diseases such
as cancer and coronary heart disease.
For
example, studies have shown that taking the B-vitamin Folic Acid
early in pregnancy can help prevent certain birth defects, while
others have suggested Folic Acid may cut the risk of certain
cancers and heart disease.
Other
vitamins, such as vitamin E, have been found to reduce cancer
risk when consumed at recommended levels, and vitamin D plus
calcium supplements have been shown to decrease the risks of
bone loss and fracture in the elderly.
Fletcher
pointed out that most Americans--except those who follow what he
described as a "super-perfect" diet--likely do not get enough of
certain vitamins in their diets and would benefit from
multivitamins, as well.
A recent survey showed that only 20% to 30% of Americans consume
at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, the
recommended amount.
The
evidence promoting the benefits of various vitamins is
relatively new, Fletcher explained, so doctors may not yet be
aware of it. Furthermore, vitamins are considered to be somewhat
of an alternative therapy and some doctors have "this prejudice
against anything that's not very orthodox," Fletcher stated.
As people
age, they also become less able to absorb some vitamins from
their diets, and research has suggested that people who drink
alcohol may need extra folic acid. In addition, Fletcher said,
some physicians may not understand the importance of vitamin
deficiency and may fail to recommend multivitamins.
Fletcher
and Fairfield point out that excessive vitamin doses can have
adverse effects--including higher-than-recommended vitamin A
intake during pregnancy, which is linked to certain fetal
anomalies.
Source
Journal of the American
Medical Association 2002;287:3116-3126, 3127-3129.
Key concepts: Multivitamin, vitamin deficiency, JAMA, Journal of the American
Medical Association
