Self-reported health without clinically measurable benefits among adult users of multivitamin and multimineral supplements: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectiveMultiple clinical trials fail to identify clinically measurable health benefits of daily multivitamin and multimineral (MVM) consumption in the general adult population. Understanding the determinants of widespread use of MVMs may guide efforts to better educate the public about effective nutritional practices. The objective of this study was to compare self-reported and clinically measurable health outcomes among MVM users and non-users in a large, nationally representative adult civilian non-institutionalised population in the USA surveyed on the use of complementary health practices.DesignCross-sectional analysis of the effect of MVM consumption on self-reported overall health and clinically measurable health outcomes.ParticipantsAdult MVM users and non-users from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (n=21 603).Primary and secondary outcome measuresFive psychological, physical, and functional health outcomes: (1) self-rated health status, (2) needing help with routine needs, (3) history of 10 chronic diseases, (4) presence of 19 health conditions in the past 12 months, and (5) Kessler 6-Item (K6) Psychological Distress Scale to measure non-specific psychological distress in the past month.ResultsAmong 4933 adult MVM users and 16 670 adult non-users, MVM users self-reported 30% better overall health than non-users (adjusted OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.46; false discovery rate adjusted p<0.001). There were no differences between MVM users and non-users in history of 10 chronic diseases, number of present health conditions, severity of current psychological distress on the K6 Scale and rates of needing help with daily activities. No effect modification was observed after stratification by sex, education, and race.ConclusionsMVM users self-reported better overall health despite no apparent differences in clinically measurable health outcomes. These results suggest that widespread use of multivitamins in adults may be a result of individuals’ positive expectation that multivitamin use leads to better health outcomes or a self-selection bias in which MVM users intrinsically harbour more positive views regarding their health.

Dietary Supplement Use in Relation to Socio-Demographic and Lifestyle Factors, including Adherence to Mediterranean-Style Diet in University Students

“…On the other hand, in the large US study (National Health Interview Survey), vitamin/mineral supplement users reported better overall health than non-users despite apparent differences in clinically measurable health outcomes. Thus, it seems that the widespread use of DS in adults may be a result of an individual's positive expectation that such product use leads to better health outcomes [22].…”

The Health & Her App is Associated with Improved Symptom Outcomes Among 1,900 Menopausal Women

“…Certain dietary supplements, such as vitamin D, which is key ingredient of the Health & Her supplements, have been demonstrated among menopausal women (13). Alternatively, this outcome may be related to placebo effects, as individuals who had recently started taking Health & Her supplements may have a positive expectation that the supplement will lead to better health outcomes, and these positive expectations may have manifested as self-reported health improvements (14). Thus, individuals who recently purchased Health & Her supplements may have been more likely to report benefits from doing so.…”

The Extent of the Use of Multivitamins and Multimineral Supplements Without Clinically Measurable Benefits Among Adults in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…These results are constant with the findings of other studies [ 17 , 18 ]. One cross-sectional study conducted in the United States of America (USA) demonstrated a higher MVMM prevalence in females as well [ 19 ]. In another study in Japan with 1,776 participants, females were far more likely to report supplement use than males [ 20 ].…”