Athletic Nutrients Multivitamin

Multivitamins are Useless…Case is Closed!…Or is it? 

The story from CBS News, linked above, has raised many questions. Here is my response:

“MULTIVITAMINS ARE USELESS,” claims the Annals of Internal Medicine. For the most part, I agree.
The “case is closed” after studies find no health benefits from taking vitamins.
This is the conclusion from recent studies published in December 16th in the Annals of Internal Medicine that many have already asked me about. (READ THIS STORY HERE)

I will agree that many vitamins are, in fact, useless but the problem with this blanket statement is that not all vitamins are created the same. There is a massive difference from one multivitamin to the next, even though the label says “multivitamin.”

The first question we have to ask is where do vitamins come from? The answer of course, is food. (The exception being vitamin D; the majority of which we get from sunlight, and the fact that it is not a vitamin it is a hormone.) Back to the vitamins we get from food. Nobody would argue with the fact that the best way to get your vitamins is from food, and that eating foods with high vitamin content, such as fruits and vegetables, are essential in creating/maintaining health. Conclusion: Vitamins come from food and the nutrients we require for maximizing our health come from food.

So, do the vitamins in most of the multivitamins we take come from food? Absolutely not!

The vast majority of the vitamins you find are actually synthetic vitamins. They are vitamins made from chemicals in a factory and are nothing like the vitamins you get from food. Just one example is vitamin B12. In most multivitamins you will see B12 listed as cyanocobolamine. Cyanocobolamine does not exist in any food source in nature. It is made by reacting cobalamins with cyanide in a laboratory. There are man-made and naturally occuring versions of every almost every vitamin. They are not the same thing.
The problem with this study is they use these man-made vitamins, (which we already knew were less effective to useless) in their study and then use a blanket statement, saying all vitamins are useless.

Naturally occurring vitamins are nothing like man-made vitamins and are very important in promoting health. When choosing a vitamin you want it to be exactly how it exists in nature. Synthetic vitamins have actually been linked to increasing cancers.

If I wanted to make all cars look dangerous, I could buy a dozen old Ford Pinto cars, line them up bumper to bumper, fill them with gasoline and ram them together in a mock road accident that caused them all to explode. From that, I could declare, “All cars are unsafe!” even though I only tested the Pinto. That’s the same as what’s happening with these multivitamin studies. They choose synthetic nutrients, and then they use the negative results to declare that all multivitamins are dangerous.
What these studies prove and what the headlines should say is that synthetic vitamins are useless and toxic to human health.

Another thing to consider is how well a person is eating. A supplement will only help if you aren’t getting enough of the required vitamins/minerals in your diet. For example, if a person has sufficient levels of Vit D, taking a Vit D supplement would be of no benefit to that person.

That doesn’t mean Vit D is pointless for everyone! Unfortunately, the overwheling majority of us are deficient in many vitamins/minerals. A high quality multi is a great way to fill those gaps.

Which multivitamins contain man-made parts? Just about all of them. Centrum, One-A-day, any Walmart, Kmart, Shopko brand, etc… Most supplements from multi-level marketing companies like Advocare also use man-made parts. I have seen a number of multivitamins that even add a high dose of caffeine. That way you get a caffeine rush, feel good, and think it’s because of the vitamins. Most meal replacement shakes I have looked at are loaded with synthetic vitamins as well. The only thing you should ever replace a meal with is a healthier meal!

You ever wonder how they could pack so many vitamins into one little capsule? Well, they can’t. With most vitamins they only use a part of a vitamin complex, not the entire vitamin. This would be like buying a dozen tires and saying you have 3 cars. You need all the parts of the car for it to work properly. The same goes for vitamins. You cannot just pack a bunch of vitamin fragments into a pill and expect to get the benefits from a full vitamin complex.

Why would companies use the cheap form? Because they are cheap. And they can sell them for cheap and still have a large profit margin.

So, where should I be getting my vitamins from? Of course the best way is certified organic whole foods. I am a big fan of making smoothies or juicing. Just make sure you incorporate greens such as spinach or kale into all or your recipes. Sometimes people get a little too fruit crazy and end up with a big glass of sugar water.  Another great way is by taking a quality multivitamin. The label  should not have words like dl – alpha tocopherol or cyanocobolamine in the ingredients.

Can vitamins really cure or prevent diseases? The only claim we can truly make is that vitamins can create sufficiency if we are deficient in a certain nutrient.  Deficiency can absolutely cause disease. Scurvy, from vitamin C deficiency, and rickets, from vitamin D deficiency, can all be cured by adding sufficient nutrients to the diet.  If we look at the diet of most Americans we are woefully deficient in vitamin D, Omega 3 fats, and probiotics. Those are 3 supplements we should definitely be taking. Sadly, just like with multivitamins there is a huge difference from one to the next; which will be addressed in future letters. Most Americans also do not consume enough vegetables and fruits. For most of us, a whole food based multivitamin is a good idea.

In the future, please do not waste your money on synthetic vitamins, overpriced multilevel marketing company supplements, or meal replacement shakes. Stick with whole foods and whole food supplements. You will surely be adding years to life and life to years.