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Multivitamin and multimineral supplements, commonly referred to simply as “multis,” are the most popular dietary supplements in the United States. Even so, there is no standard multivitamin or multimineral formula, nor any established standards on what a multi should contain. Different brands of multivitamins and multiminerals often contain many of the same basic ingredients, for example, yet the dose of each nutrient in each multi differs from brand to brand.
Taking multivitamins or multiminerals is generally a good move if you are not getting enough nutrients from your diet or if you are under a great deal of physical or emotional stress. Men, however, should take note. In the National Institutes of Health and AARP Diet and Health Study, researchers evaluated 395,344 men who were cancer-free at enrollment in 1995 and 1996. During five years of follow-up, 10241 participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer—8,765 localized and 1,476 advanced. In a separate mortality analysis with six years of follow-up, 179 men were found to have fatal prostate cancer. (Lawson 2007)
The researchers also assessed multivitamin use among the participants and correlated it with the incidence of prostate cancer. Among men who took multivitamins regularly, there was no association between the supplement and risk of localized prostate cancer. However, when they compared men who used multivitamins more than seven times per week with those who never used them, there was an increased risk of advanced and fatal prostate cancers among the supplement users. The positive association between excessive multivitamin use and cancer was strongest among men who had a family history of prostate cancer or who took individual micronutrient supplements, including selenium, -carotene, and zinc, along with high levels of multivitamins.
In another study, this one conducted by ConsumerLab.com, an independent provider of consumer information on health products, the investigators found errors in more than 30 percent of the 29 brands of multivitamins chosen for review. In one of the three men’s multis tested, the product contained 258.8 percent of the RDA for folic acid, more than twice the upper tolerable level and a level that has been associated with a more than twofold increase in the risk of prostate cancer. One of the men’s multis also contained lead. Among some of the other multis not specifically for men, the investigators discovered that two out of five general supplements tested had significantly less of an ingredient than claimed on the label.
Generally, if you follow a nutritious diet, like The Prostate Diet, you should not need to take a multi. It is best to get the vast majority of your nutrients through your food choices. However, if you are considering a multivitamin/multimineral, it is best to know the upper tolerable limits of all the nutrients in the supplement to make sure the product will not expose you to dangerous levels. You should also check to see if the nutrient doses reflect the latest Recommended Dietary Allowances or Adequate Intakes. A knowledgeable healthcare professional can help you make a wise choice of multivitamin/multimineral to address your specific needs.
