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Many people take some sort of vitamin pill or supplement,... in the hope that it will
stave off illness or help them live a healthier life.
If you pop these pills,.... you may want to think again,... as new research shows vitamins
are nothing more than a waste of money. Kim Min-ji reports. This editorial published
in the Annals of Internal Medicine... says "most supplements do not prevent chronic disease"
and could just be a waste of money. The authors of the editorial,... titled "Enough
is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements,"... found that multivitamins
do not prevent heart-related illnesses, nor do they have an effect on slowing cognitive
function in the elderly.
The editorial summarizes the results of three studies on the effectiveness of multivitamins.
One of the studies, conducted by researchers at Harvard University, examines the effects
of vitamins on memory function. The study was conducted over a span of 12
years with roughly six-thousand men aged 65 and over.
One group took a daily multivitamin,... while the other was given a placebo.
But the results were the same for both groups.
Another study by Johns Hopkins University looked at the role of multivitamins in preventing
heart attacks that involved more than 17-hundred people.
The people were divided into two groups and were given either a multivitamin or placebo
for five years. Likewise,... the results showed that multivitamins
did not help prevent heart attacks, stroke... or premature death.
"Both studies said, no, you weren't. The multi-vitamins did not help protect you against dementia
and did not help to protect against heart attack."
The pharmaceutical industry has already lodged its objections to the findings.
They say the results do not apply to the general public,... as people have different diets,
and that multivitamins address nutritional deficiencies that people fail to get from
food. Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.