Tens of millions of Americans use multivitamins and other nutritional supplements, but scientific evidence of their benefits to the body is still not enough.

In this regard, American experts initiated a study in which they tried to find out the reasons for the massive demand for these supplements.

Recall that in the United States, unlike the post-Soviet countries, thousands of multivitamin complexes have the status of food additives, not medicines. Therefore here and in the future we will avoid the word "medicine".

"Most people use these complexes, because the media claim that they are good for health. But the truth is that we still can not confirm this, "- says the lead author of the study R. Bailey, a nutrition epidemiologist from the Department of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health.

"Moreover, the choice of such supplements in the vast majority of cases is based on a person's personal decision, and not on the advice of a doctor," adds the researcher..

Let's give concrete figures. Unlike developing countries, about half (!) Of the US adults regularly take dietary supplements. This is a serious business with an annual turnover of about 30 billion dollars (only in the US).

"People strongly believe in the effectiveness of these products, but I have no idea where they are getting the relevant information. It does not come from doctors. Much of the current clinical evidence suggests that dietary supplements with vitamins do not improve health and do not have a preventive effect, "says Bailey.

Another expert emphasizes that such nutritional supplements can also be very expensive.

"Multivitamins can cost at least $ 20 each month. Why not spend it on an extra portion of fresh food? If a person eats a lot of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, he gets with food all the vitamins and minerals that the body needs, "says M. Neuhauser, who participates in the cancer prevention program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, USA).

A new interesting report on this issue was published on February 4 in the American edition of JAMA Internal Medicine.

Dr. Bailey's team collected data on 12,000 adult Americans who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007 to 2010.

The researchers found that 45% of people who took multivitamins did this because of their belief in improving their health, and 33% of people took multivitamins to simply maintain their shape.

Only 23% of Americans surveyed decided to take food supplements with vitamins on the recommendation of their doctor. In these cases, doctors often recommended such supplements:.

• Vitamins with calcium for bones (24%).

• Multivitamins to improve overall health (18%).

• Vitamins with omega-3 acids for the heart (12%).

• Multivitamins for enriching a meager diet (11%).

It is difficult to answer the question whether multivitamins improve the health status. The fact is that most Americans who start taking multivitamins at the same time begin to lead a healthier lifestyle.

"These people tell us about better health, more activity, moderate alcohol consumption, and also about quitting smoking," Bailey adds.. Therefore, it is not easy to separate the effect of vitamins from the effect of lifestyle.

Of course, there is an obvious curative and preventive effect that has long been proven for some vitamins and minerals. For example, folic acid significantly reduces the risk of neural tube defects and other congenital malformations in children. Calcium and vitamin D play an important role in strengthening bone tissue, and iron is an indispensable element for hematopoiesis. But the specific results of taking multivitamin complexes, which contain 20-30 components in one tablet, are still in question.

McKay, a representative of the food additives industry, says that daily taking multivitamins is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.

"People who take multivitamins in combination with a healthy diet, exercise regularly and are able to control stress, live longer and more fruitfully," says McKay, vice president of the Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

Two recent studies once again added fuel to the fire, but did not put an end to the lengthy discussion between supporters and opponents of multivitamins.

One study, published on November 7, 2012 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that multivitamins can not prevent heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Another study, published on October 17, 2012 in the same journal, showed that men who take long-acting multivitamins may reduce the risk of cancer.

Another expert, physiologist and coordinator in the field of clinical nutrition, Dr. C. Heller. She took a moderate position, which, perhaps, is the most faithful in the current uncertain situation.

Dr. Heller said the following: "Vitamins and minerals are certainly beneficial in some cases, but they are not able to replace a variety of natural foods. It would be nice if Americans spent part of these $ 30 billion on a healthy diet and gym ".

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