Use of Multiple Nutritional Supplements Found to Be Beneficial to Health
Reference: "Usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of long-term multiple dietary supplement users: a cross-sectional study,"
Block G, Jensen CD, et al, Nutr J, 2007; 6(1): 30. (Address: Gladys Block, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 207-B University Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA. E-mail: [email protected] ).
Summary: In a cross-sectional study involving 278 long-term users of multiple dietary supplements, 176 users of a multivitamin/mineral supplement, and 602 non-users of supplements, the users of multiple dietary supplements were found to have better biomarkers of health, as compared to subjects in the other 2 groups.
At least half of the subjects in the multiple dietary supplements group consumed the following supplements: a multivitamin/mineral, B-complex, vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin E, calcium with vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids, lecithin, alfalfa, coenzyme Q10 with resveratrol, glucosamine, and an herbal immune supplement.
Most of the women in this group also consumed gamma linolenic acid and a probiotic supplement, while most of the men consumed zinc, garlic, saw palmetto and a soy protein supplement.
After adjusting for various potentially confounding factors, results clearly showed more favorable health outcomes in the subjects taking multiple dietary supplements.
Improvements included lower concentrations of serum homocysteine (while non-users had a 45% risk of elevated homocysteine, and single supplement users had a 37% risk, multi-supplement users had only an 11% risk), C-reactive protein, and triglycerides, and higher levels of HDL cholesterol. In addition, subjects in the multi-supplement group were found to have lower risks of elevated blood pressure, diabetes (73% less risk of diabetes compared to non-users), and coronary heart disease (52% less risk).
Furthermore, subjects taking multiple dietary supplements reported having "good or excellent" health status 74% more often than non-supplement users. Suboptimal levels of certain micronutrients including vitamin C were found among the non-users and the single multivitamin/mineral supplement users.
These results suggest that the use of multiple nutritional supplements such as those used by the subjects in this study, may confer various benefits to health. The authors conclude, "These findings should be confirmed by studying the dietary supplement usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of other groups of heavy users of dietary supplements."
An interesting finding was that blood serum ferritin levels, a marker of iron load, was much higher among non-supplement (198) and multivitamin users (205) than consumers of an array of supplements (117 micrograms per liter of blood).
High iron storage levels are associated with conditions such as liver disease, diabetes, brain and heart disease as well as frequent infections.
Common one-a-day multivitamins often provide iron while users of a wide array of supplements may be taking nutrients that inhibit iron absorption, such as extracts from fruits, berries, grapes or bran.
Blood serum levels of carotenoids (beta carotene, lycopene, lutein) were three higher among multi-supplement users than non-users, and double that of multivitamin users.
Vitamin E levels among multi-supplement users were more than double that of non-users and multivitamin users.
Multi-supplement users had significantly higher HDL �good� cholesterol, lower triglycerides and C-reactive protein, and lower blood pressure, markers of cardiovascular health, than non-users and multivitamin users.
This study may dispel a common belief that a low-dose multivitamin may be sufficient to address essential nutrient shortages.
Source: Gladys Block, et al, Usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of long-term multiple dietary supplement users: a cross-sectional study.
Multiple Supplement User May Be Healthier
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