Page 61 - Prevention (February 2020)
P. 61
MYTH #1
Taking vitamins is pointless.
MYTHBUSTER Some people need them—specifically, people with
a vitamin deficiency, says David Jenkins, M.D., a professor of
medicine and nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto and
St. Michael’s Hospital. For instance, about a quarter of adults in
the U.S. have insufficient levels of vitamin D, because it’s found
in relatively few foods (fatty fish, dairy, fortified cereals). Plus,
our bodies are designed to synthesize the nutrient from the sun,
says Beth Kitchin, Ph.D., R.D.N., assistant professor of nutrition
studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but factors
including age, skin pigmentation, and sunscreen use can influence
how much your body makes. Still, you might hold off on popping
a multivitamin “just because.” A 2019 study suggests that
supplements don’t extend lifespan as much as eating the same
amount of vitamins in food. In one review, Dr. Jenkins and other
researchers found that taking supplements regularly had no effect
on heart health or the risk of early death.
