The medical researcher and presenter of BBC’s Trust Me I’m A Doctor, Dr Chris Van Tulleken, has likened long-term vitamin supplementation to the risk of cigarette smoking.
His comments came in a discussion on Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show prompted by recent studies in Britain and America which led researchers to conclude that vitamin supplementation was a waste money and potentially a health threat.
Chris Van Tulleken said that the newly published studies from Warwick University and John Hopkins University were part of “a long line of studies to show an increase in death rates with unregulated supplementation, especially of vitamin A, E and beta carotene”.
“The very large studies – forget single studies that don’t tell you much at all – that do the meta-analysis, repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly show increase in mortality with some vitamins and a lack of consistent benefit other than in very specific population groups”.
But Graham Keen, executive director of the Health Food Manufacturers Association (HFMA) said that there were hundred of published studies showing a positive impact from vitamin supplementation. He also pointed out a recent HFMA survey had shown that just 13% of men and 15% of women were achieving their five-a-day goal for fruit and vegetables and said it was “complete tosh” to suggest that most people were getting all of their necessary vitamins from their diet. “It simply isn’t the case and there is no point in pretending that it is the case,” he added.
On the issue of safety, Keen said that official data from the Food Standards Agency confirmed the very low level of risk associated with vitamins. “In 11 years only 11 adverse incidents were reported, most of them of minor things like stomach upsets. Of course no one has died from using these products, or come close to it,” he said.
“In 11 years only 11 adverse incidents were reported, most of them of minor things like stomach upsets. Of course no one has died from using these products, or come close to it”
But Van Tulleken said that the supplement industry missed the point when it quoted point-of-use safety data on vitamins. He told the programme: “The reason why there is no data saying supplements cause death at the point of intake is because this is not like a paracetamol overdose. It is difficult to detect small increases in deaths over many years. It is like cigarettes – people don’t die at the end of smoking a cigarette, they die at the end of long-term cigarette abuse and with vitamin E, vitamin A and beta carotene supplementation it’s the same accusation.”
“people don’t die at the end of smoking a cigarette, they die at the end of long-term cigarette abuse and with vitamin E, vitamin A and beta carotene supplementation it’s the same accusation”
GP and broadcaster Dr Sarah Jarvis said she welcomed Van Tulleken’s cigarette analogy. She told the programme: “I was delighted to hear Chris point out that there’s a world of difference between saying a single pill won’t kill you and the huge studies that show that high doses of vitamins can increase your risk of death.”
Jarvis claimed that “day in, day out” she saw people in her surgery who were taking supplements instead of eating a balanced diet. She argued there should be much more emphasis placed on food. “Vitamins do not have all the micronutrients, fibre and good things that are naturally in food”.
