Some of Most Popular Medical News in 2013

Abstract

Multivitamins 'waste of money,' say medical experts Wednesday 18 December 2013  "Enough is enough: stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements," say medical experts in an editorial of a leading journal that has just published three new studies examining whether routine use of vitamin and mineral supplements brings health benefits. Writing in Annals of Internal Medicine, the editorial authors conclude that most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, some may even be harmful in well-nourished adults, and there is a large body of evidence to support this.  Their routine use is not justified and they should be avoided, they urge, noting that: "This message is especially true for the general population with no clear evidence of micronutrient deficiencies, who represent most supplement users in the United States and in other countries." Editorial co-author Dr. Edgar Miller, professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, told CBS News that people would be better off spending money on healthy foods, such as "fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, low-fat dairy," and getting exercise. In the editorial, Dr. Miller and colleagues say despite "sobering evidence" of no health benefit and even of possible harm, US adults are spending more and more on multivitamins. They note how use of multivitamins increased among US adults from 30% between 1988 and 1994 to 39% between 2003 and 2006, while overall use of dietary supplements grew from 42% to 53% over the same period. There have been some dips - for instance, studies have linked certain supplements to negative outcomes - but overall the supplements industry has kept growing. In the US, it reached $28 billion a year in 2010. Trends in the UK and other European countries are similar, notes the editorial. On the other hand, evidence that daily supplements have null effects - that is, they make no difference to health - appear to have no effect on consumers and overall sales have kept growing. In one of the studies published in the same issue as the editorial, Dr. Francine Grodstein, of Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues examined data from the The Physicians' Health Study II, to look at the effect of long-term use of multivitamins on cognitive health. The participants were nearly 6,000 male doctors aged 65 and over, who were randomized to take either a daily multivitamin pill or placebo pill for 12 years. Tests of memory and cognitive function showed no difference between the two groups, and the researchers conclude: "In male physicians aged 65 years or older, long-term use of a daily multivitamin did not provide cognitive benefits.