There is no “magic set of pills to keep you healthy,” a new study claims, calling vitamin and supplement buys a “waste of money” for most Americans.

People in the U.S. spent close to $50 billion on vitamins and dietary supplements in 2021. They were attracted to the idea that multivitamins and dietary supplements could fill in nutritional gaps in their diet.

But scientists at Northwestern Medicine say that vitamins are a waste of money for Americans who are not pregnant and are otherwise healthy because there isn’t enough proof that they help prevent heart disease or cancer.

As explained by Dr. Jeffrey Linder, chief of general internal medicine in the department of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine: “Patients ask all the time, ‘What supplements should I be taking?’.”

According to the expert, “they’re wasting money and focus thinking there has to be a magic set of pills that will keep them healthy when we should all be following the evidence-based practices of eating healthy and exercising.”

Linder and other Northwestern Medicine scientists have penned an editorial published today in JAMA in support of new recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of national experts that frequently provides evidence-based recommendations regarding clinical preventive services.

The USPSTF’s revised guidelines declare that there is “insufficient evidence” that taking multivitamins, paired supplements, or single supplements can help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer not otherwise healthy, non-pregnant individuals, based on a comprehensive assessment of 84 research.

“The task force is not saying ‘don’t take multivitamins’,” Linder explained, “but there’s this idea that if these were really good for you, we’d know by now.”

The task force advises against taking beta-carotene supplements because they may raise the risk of lung cancer, and vitamin E supplements since they have no net effect in terms of lowering mortality, cardiovascular disease, or cancer.

“The harm is that talking with patients about supplements during the very limited time we get to see them, we’re missing out on counseling about how to really reduce cardiovascular risks, like through exercise or smoking cessation,” Linder noted.

Most Americans take vitamins. Why?

According to Linder and his colleagues in a JAMA editorial, more than half of American adults take dietary supplements, and supplement use is expected to rise.

They claim that because eating fruits and vegetables is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, it’s logical to believe that vital vitamins and minerals might be taken from them, packed into a tablet, and given to patients instead of having to maintain a balanced diet.

Whole fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, contain a combination of vitamins, phytochemicals, fiber, and other nutrients that, according to them, work together to provide health advantages. Micronutrients taken alone may have a different effect on the body than when combined with a variety of other nutrients.

Individuals with vitamin deficiencies, according to Linder, can still benefit from dietary supplements like calcium and vitamin D, which have been found to prevent fractures and possibly falls in elderly adults.

Pregnant women are exempt from new guidelines

According to Dr. Natalie Cameron, an instructor of general internal medicine at Feinberg, the new USPSTF guidelines do not apply to people who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

“Pregnant individuals should keep in mind that these guidelines don’t apply to them,” Cameron, a Northwestern Medicine specialist, said. “Certain vitamins, such as folic acid, are essential for pregnant women to support healthy fetal development. The most common way to meet these needs is to take a prenatal vitamin. More data is needed to understand how specific vitamin supplementation may modify risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular complications during pregnancy.”

Furthermore, according to new Northwestern University research, the majority of women in the United States have poor heart health prior to becoming pregnant. In addition to discussing vitamin supplementation, Cameron believes that working with patients to improve their cardiovascular health before pregnancy is a vital part of prenatal treatment.

Eating healthy and exercising is difficult

Healthy eating can be difficult when the industrialized food system in the United States does not emphasize health, according to Dr. Jenny Jia, a co-author of the JAMA editorial who researches the prevention of chronic diseases in low-income families through lifestyle interventions.

“To adopt a healthy diet and exercise more, that’s easier noted than done, especially among lower-income Americans,” said Jia, a Northwestern Medicine physician and an instructor of general internal medicine at Feinberg.

“Healthy food is expensive, and people don’t always have the means to find environments to exercise—maybe it’s unsafe outdoors or they can’t afford a facility. So, what can we do to try to make it easier and help support healthier decisions?”

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