A recent look at multivitamins by Johns Hopkins researchers shows that there’s no proof of benefit. Find out the one supplement deemed beneficial—and how others failed.
The general consensus I’ve always heard is that if you have a deficiency, taking a vitamin supplement can absolutely help. If you’re eating a balanced diet and blood work looks good at the doctor, then vitamins won’t do much because you’ll just pee out all the excess.
Interestingly, there is some evidence that suggests that antioxidants like vitamin C, especially when taken in the excessively large doses that are fashionable these days, can interfere with the immune system (which relies on oxidation reactions in order to clear pathogens and precancerous cells) and preclude gains from exercise (oxidation is used as a signal by the body to eg. induce muscle mass growth).
The general consensus I’ve always heard is that if you have a deficiency, taking a vitamin supplement can absolutely help. If you’re eating a balanced diet and blood work looks good at the doctor, then vitamins won’t do much because you’ll just pee out all the excess.
Interestingly, there is some evidence that suggests that antioxidants like vitamin C, especially when taken in the excessively large doses that are fashionable these days, can interfere with the immune system (which relies on oxidation reactions in order to clear pathogens and precancerous cells) and preclude gains from exercise (oxidation is used as a signal by the body to eg. induce muscle mass growth).