Are vitamin health claims more hype than hope?

Are vitamin health claims more hype than hope?

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Story Published: Jul 28, 2008 at 6:28 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 11:50 PM PDT

By Herb Weisbaum

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SEATTLE -- Head down the vitamin aisle at the supermarket or drug store, and take a look at how many multi-vitamins make health claims.

They promise to do everything from lower your cholesterol to support breast health. But are these health claims more hype than hope?

For a lot of people, that daily multi-vitamin is sort of an insurance policy -- a simple way to make sure they get all the vitamins and nutrients their body needs. But today's multi-vitamins promise to do a lot more than that.

For example, have you seen the new Centrum Cardio? It boldly promises to lower your cholesterol in just a month.

And there's One-A-Day Men's 50. It "supports: memory and concentration, prostate health, heart health" and more.

"Multi-vitamins according to these manufacturers do all kinds of things," said David Schardt, senior nutritionist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group based in Washington, D.C. "The evidence is pretty weak for that."

When it comes to taking advertising claims to the next level, One-A-Day is leading the way.

There's Cholesterol Plus -- the box says it "helps maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure.

And Weight Smart -- "specifically formulated to help you while you control your weight."

One-A-Day-Women's, with extra Vitamin D, is supposed to support bone and breast health.

On its website, the company says, "emerging research suggests (Vitamin D) may support breast health."

The advertising for these super-vitamins never claims they can cure a disease, and if you read the fine print, you'll see the claim has not been reviewed by the FDA.

Schardt says it's easy for people to be misled by the bold claims.

"There's no evidence that taking the ingredients in these vitamin pills does anything for your risk of heart disease," he says. "And the evidence that multi-vitamins may prevent breast cancer is very weak. It may turn out to be the case but right now, the evidence isn't that strong."

You don't have to pay top dollar to get a good multiple vitamin. The health and nutrition experts I spoke to say store brands from reputable retailers are just as good as the national brands. In some cases, they're made by the same company.

For More Information:

Fortify Your Knowledge about Vitamins

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