Multivitamins: No Substitute for a Healthy Diet, and Possibly Very Harmful

So, you know your diet isn't always the best.  You tend to heap on the pasta, but eat the parsley and the small vegetable garnish on the side when you eat Italian, so you can give yourself a false sense of consolation that you don't completely ignore your greens.

But, you don't fret too much.  Because you have an insurance policy.  What your diet lacks, you make up for in this pill you take every day.  Probably at breakfast, if you are not one to skip breakfast in favor of your daily donut at the office.  This is, of course, a reference to your multivitamin.  Now you don't have to worry about what you eat so much, because you take this daily, religiously.  All the vitamins you need packed into a neat little pill, so you are guaranteed to never have a vitamin deficiency!  Or, are you really guaranteed?

That, of course, is a rhetorical question.  And a clear, "No," is the answer.  Your daily multivitamin cannot, will not, ever be a substitute for eating whole, nutrient packed foods.  In fact, there is mounting evidence that your multivitamin may even be harmful.

Author: Jü 

Chiral isomers of medetomidine.  The orientation of a molecule can make a surprising difference in how, and if, it is absorbed and processed by the body.

Most Vitamin Pills are Synthetic

Over 90% of the brands of multivitamin pills sold over the counter have been synthesized in a laboratory.  Why does this matter?  Some vitamins, such as Vitamin E, have different enantiomers, which are different isomers of the same molecule.  There is a Vitamin E-d, and Vitamin E-l.  The d stands for dextrorotatory, and the l stands for levorotatory.  The d is the one found in nature and utilized by the body, while the l version is synthetic.  The levorotatory version of Vitamin E is not usable by the body, and will at best be excreted, and at worst, stored.

You Risk Excesses of Vitamins

While deficiencies of vitamins can render you susceptible to many illnesses, including heart disease and cancers, excesses of vitamins can in many cases be equally harmful.  For instance, Vitamin A has been shown to increase the risk of lung cancer.  Excesses of Vitamin E have been shown to increase the risk of heart failure, as well as overall mortality rates.

It is widely known that too much Vitamin C in your system is widely known to cause diarrhea and increase the risk of kidney stones. 

Another major problem with excesses has to do with the liver.  The liver processes only what the body needs.  Excesses are often times just passed through, however, the liver will also at times store them for later use.  Therefore, long term excesses will not allow the liver to get rid of its excesses.  Vitamins stored in the liver for a long period of time can cause fatty liver and other forms of liver damage.

Multivitamin Pills Do Not Have Other Micronutrients

There are 13 essential vitamins in total.  Yes, they can be encapsulated in a pill.  However, there are a wide variety of micronutrients you will not receive from a pill that you get from eating a healthy diet of whole foods.

Foods not only contain vitamins, but also essential minerals, and other healthful molecules such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, trace elements, and helpful fatty acids.

Conclusion

To date, there is no one "silver bullet" pill for curing all disease, and there is also none for prevention.  There really is no substitute for eating a healthy, nutritious diet.

However, that does not mean all supplementation is bad, or useless, of course.  While multivitamins may be bad for you, there are certain supplements which can be helpful.  For instance, most people are deficient in certain elements such as magnesium.  Most people are also deficient in another critical nutrient, especially those in seasonal or cold climates.  Vitamin D can be very difficult to get through sun exposure in cold weather.  Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, but a hormone.  It is extremely critical in the prevention of a wide array of diseases, and for healthy gene expression.  Another example of a healthy type of supplement are extractions such as turmeric that have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.