Finally (after 20 years) the American Medical Association (largest organization of doctors in the US) is advising EVERY AMERICAN take at least one MULTI-VITAMIN a day! They also recommend that some groups of people take extra Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D.

Nutritionist have been saying this for years, now your doctor is saying it too! The highlights of the JAMA article are:

In the June 2002 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the American Medical Association reversed it long standing negative opinion of the daily use of vitamin supplements by advising all adults to take at least one multi-vitamin pill each day.

Scientists' understanding of the benefits of vitamin supplements have increased in recent years. Drs. Robert Fletcher and Kathleen Fairfield of the Harvard University, who wrote the new guidelines say it now appears that people who get enough vitamins may be able to prevent such common chronic illnesses as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.

About twenty years ago JAMA made a comprehensive review of vitamins and concluded people of normal health shouldn't take multi-vitamins because they were a waste of time and money. It was JAMA's position that people could get all the nutrients they need from their diet. The one exception being pregnant women and chronically sick people who might be deficient of certain vitamins.

The truth is that at that time the role vitamins play in promoting health was not well known. For instance, it was not known that low levels of folate, or folic acid played a significant role in neural tube defects. Nor, was its role as a major risk factor for heart disease known.

About 80% of us Americans do not eat at least five helpings of fruits and vegetables a day. Health experts are increasingly worried that most American adults do not consume healthy amounts of vitamins in their diet, although they may be getting enough to ward off such vitamin-deficiency disorders as scurvy, beriberi and pellagra.

Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, chief of antioxidant research at Tufts University's Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging says the JAMA recommendations underscore a growing concern among nutrition experts that the recommended daily allowances, or RDAs, for many vitamins are set too low.

He further explains that the RDAs were established to prevent symptoms of vitamin-deficiency disorders. But growing evidence suggests that higher levels of many vitamins are necessary to achieve optimum health. The National Academy of Sciences, which sets RDAs, is revising its recommendations based on the new evidence.

Even people who eat five daily servings of fruits and vegetables may not get enough of certain vitamins for optimum health according to Dr. Fletcher. "Most people, for instance, cannot get the healthiest levels of folate and vitamins D and E from recommended diets", he said.

Fletcher reflected that, "All of us grew up believing that if we ate a reasonable diet, that would take care of our vitamin needs." And her added that, "the new evidence, much of it in the last couple of years, is that vitamins also prevent the usual diseases we deal with every day — heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and birth defects."

After reviewing almost 40 years of research, the Drs. Fletcher and Fairfield found the following associations between certain diseases and vitamins:

Heart disease -- Low folic acid levels in the blood increase the risk of heart disease. Using folic acid supplements or eating more in the diet has been shown to help decrease this risk. Research on vitamin E has been conflicting -- with some studies showing a benefit and others not. Beta carotene supplements have not been shown to help prevent heart disease -- and may even increase the risk in smokers.
Cancer -- Studies have shown a decrease in colon cancer in men and women taking folic acid supplements and in men with higher folic acid in their diet. Folic acid has also been shown to decrease breast cancer in women who drink alcohol regularly but not in nondrinkers. Vitamin E may be able to help decrease prostate cancer in men and deaths from this cancer.
Lycopenes (from tomatoes) -- have been shown to help prevent prostate cancer as well.
Osteoporosis -- Vitamin D together with calcium decreases bone loss and fractures in elderly people.
Birth defects -- Folic acid decreases the risk of birth defects of the spinal cord. Doctors recommend that women begin taking folic acid supplements before becoming pregnant.
Vitamin C -- It is a strong antioxidant that promotes hormone production, wound healing, and iron absorption. Vitamin C does not seem to affect heart disease risk, but it may decrease the risk of cancers of the breast, stomach, mouth, and esophagus -- mainly from a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

In summary, Dr. Fletcher said, "It's rare to find a health-promoter that offers such a substantial benefit with a relatively low cost and low risk of problems, and when you have such a thing, you ought to jump on it."

sitemap