Journal of The American Medical Association Announces Recommendation that All Adults Should Take Vitamins
July 2002 -- In a landmark article published
Clinical Applications
Robert H. Fletcher, MD,MSc; Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD,DrPH
JAMA. 2002;287:3127-3129.
Vitamin deficiency syndromes such as scurvy and beriberi are uncommon in Western societies. However, suboptimal intake of some vitamins, above levels causing classic vitamin deficiency, is a risk factor for chronic diseases and common in the general population, especially the elderly. Suboptimal folic acid levels, along with suboptimal levels of vitamins B6 and B12, are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia and fractures; and low levels of the antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E, and C) may increase risk for several chronic diseases. Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements. The evidence base for tailoring the contents of multivitamins to specific characteristics of patients such as age, sex, and physical activity and for testing vitamin levels to guide specific supplementation practices is limited. Physicians should make specific efforts to learn about their patients' use of vitamins to ensure that they are taking vitamins they should, such as folate supplementation for women in the childbearing years, and avoiding dangerous practices such as high doses of vitamin A during pregnancy or massive doses of fat-soluble vitamins at any age.
Author Affiliations: Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health (Dr Fletcher); Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (Dr Fairfield), Boston, Mass.
How should adults who haven't been taking vitamins choose the right ones for them?
The Dietary Supplement Information Bureau (DSIB), a non-profit information resource created specifically to provide consumers with scientifically accurate, up-to-date information, offers some practical advice. According to Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, a member of the DSIB Scientific Advisory Board and a nutrition scientist who is an authority on disease prevention through vitamin supplementation, here are some guidelines for choosing vitamins:
- The JAMA study recommends multivitamins for all adults. Choose one that contains minerals as well as vitamins.
- Read the ingredients panel carefully. Your goal is to come as close as possible to the RDA, which is the minimum daily requirement of each vitamin and mineral your body needs.
- Remember to take your vitamins every day, preferably with meals. Taking them only occasionally, or seasonally, will not be as effective.
- You also may need other supplements to achieve the minimum daily requirement of certain vitamins and minerals (calcium, for example) beyond the amount contained in any multivitamin. Read directions carefully.
- Check the expiration date on the bottle. Reliable companies all list them.
- Consider formulations made specifically for your age group and life stage. There are multivitamins designed for children, for adults, for seniors, and for pregnant women.
- Select a brand name you trust. Your health care professional can provide advice on brands.
Much more detailed information can be found on The Dietary Supplement Information Bureau's Web site, which provides medically and scientifically accurate, up-to-date information to consumers and does not sell any product. The Web site can be found at: http://www.supplementinfo.org.
The Dietary Supplement Information Bureau(TM) (DSIB (TM)) is a national non-profit organization created to provide accurate information to consumers and to the professional healthcare community about vitamins, minerals, herbs and other supplements for the purpose of improving quality of life through better health.
The DSIB (TM) Scientific Advisory Board oversees the development and dissemination of all information with IMAGINutrition, Inc. (http://www.imaginutrition.com), a nutrition technology innovation and research think tank based in Laguna Niguel, CA. IMAGINutrition collaborates with academic research centers on clinical trials using dietary supplements and regularly collects, analyzes, and disseminates the latest research on dietary supplements.
For more information about the DSIB(TM) or dietary supplements, visit the DSIB(TM) Web site at http://www.supplementinfo.org.
More Support for Vitamins!
Consistent use of multivitamins and other key supplements can promote good health and help prevent disease, according to a new report released from the Council for Responsible Nutrition. The report found that ongoing use of multivitamins and other supplements (like calcium or folic acid) can have a demonstrable impact on health. Read Research Documents Benefits of Vitamins and Supplements.
Source: PR Newswire
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/287/23/
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