Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 22 | Page 34

To say there’s confusion
about whether or not to
take a multivitamin is an
understatement.
That’s why we want to clear
this up once and for all.

There are benefits
to taking a multi!

Dispelling

the Multi
Myth

by Julie Helm

To take a multi or not to take a multi? That is the question.
You don’t have to look far to wade into the swirl surrounding
whether or not it’s beneficial to take a multivitamin.
An example, CBS News reported some doctors’ responses
concerning the results of three newer studies published
in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examining whether daily
multivitamins make you healthier. Here’s what they said:
“We believe that the case is closed—supplementing the diet
of well-nourished adults with most mineral or vitamin
supplements has no clear benefit.”
Well, yeah. Well-nourished adults wouldn’t typically have
a nutritional need for what doctors pointed out as “most”
mineral or vitamin supplements, but how many adults are
truly well-nourished?

Of course, like any good reporting agency, CBS News
included remarks from the opposing side—those who say
taking a multivitamin is necessary, especially because many
of us simply are not getting the nutrients we need from our
diets, for whatever reasons.
Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible
Nutrition, said, “The editorial demonstrates a close-minded,
one-sided approach that attempts to dismiss even the proven
benefits of vitamins and minerals. It’s a shame for consumers
that the authors refuse to recognize the real-life need for vitamin
and mineral supplementation.”
Along with Mister, Dr. Robert Graham, an internal medicine
physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told CBS News:
“There might be an argument to continue taking a multi to replace
or supplement your not-healthy diet.”
Bingo! That’s what we’re talking about. Our diets generally come
up short on the nutrition we need.