There is much discussion about compensating for an inadequate diet with multivitamin supplements. Recent studies are now giving more weight to whether expensive vitamin supplements are worthwhile.

 

Basically, everyone should try to get all the nutrients through good nutrition. There are hundreds of chemical compounds in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other foods whose nutritional value we still don't even adequately understand, much less synthesise. You can't just squeeze a few of these compounds into a tablet and expect them to provide the same nutritional value. The best defence against disease still comes from healthy food.

However, it is unrealistic to expect everyone to get all the nutrients they need every day from their diet alone. Vitamins C, D, E, calcium and magnesium in particular are among those that are often lacking in the body due to poor nutrition. It therefore makes sense to supplement such deficiencies with multivitamin supplements. A nutrient-poor diet with synthetically produced vitamins and minerals is better than a nutrient-poor diet alone.

It is important for the individual to understand that multivitamins can only do this, namely protect against deficiency symptoms. They cannot protect against disease in the same way as natural nutrients from natural foods.

According to a 2010 study in Sweden, results suggest that vitamin or multivitamin supplements in excessive doses can even make you ill, but there is no conclusive evidence for this.
In the study, participants who took synthetic multivitamins had an increased risk of breast cancer. Excessive doses of artificial vitamin C were associated with cataracts and vitamin E, A and beta-carotene supplements showed a higher mortality rate.