Many vitamins have no benefit to health

Many vitamins, taken by around 30% of people, do not extend life and may even cause premature death. These are the findings of a review that looked at 67 studies, involving more than 230,000 men and women. A group of internationally respected scientists found that there was no convincing evidence showing that taking supplements of vitamins A, C and E can make a person any healthier. In the UK, 40% of women and 30% of men take a daily vitamin pill, making up a figure of £333million spent on supplements each year. ‘There was no evidence to support either healthy people using antioxidants to prevent disease or for sick people to take them to get better,’ said the review. ‘Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality,’ The study casts more doubt on the effectiveness of artificial vitamin and mineral supplements, reinforcing the belief that there is no substitute for vitamins and minerals directly from real foods.