Washington, D.C., December 16, 2013—In response to a study, “Long-Term Multivitamin Supplementation and Cognitive Function in Men: The Physicians’ Health Study II,” published today in The Annals of Internal Medicine, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association representing the dietary supplement industry, issued the following statement:
Statement by Duffy MacKay, N.D., vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN:
“We all need to manage our expectations about why we’re taking multivitamins. Research shows that the two main reasons people take multivitamins are for overall health and wellness and to fill in nutrient gaps. Science still demonstrates the multivitamin works for those purposes, and that alone provides reason for people to take a multivitamin.
Although this study did not find benefit in cognitive function, two other recently released arms of the Physicians’ Health Study II did find benefit in the specific study population in reducing the risk of cancer and cataracts. Further, these findings come from a well-nourished population, raising the question of whether they would be more pronounced among most Americans who are not eating a healthy diet and who do have nutrient inadequacies.
While people should not expect that multivitamins in isolation can prevent disease, the fact that an affordable and convenient addition of a multivitamin to your daily health regimen may provide benefits on top of filling nutrient gaps makes it a smart choice in combination with other healthy habits.”