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Multivitamin preparations pose a danger to humans
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Regular intake of vitamin supplements can trigger the development of life-threatening diseases, according to researchers at the University of Colorado. For example, excessive consumption of seemingly harmless ascorbic acid increases the risk of developing calculous pyelonephritis, and vitamins such as retinol acetate, tocopherol, and vitamin B can accumulate in human tissues.
Scientists are sure that uncontrolled use of vitamin preparations can cause not only illnesses, but also death. The study of this fact lasted about ten years. During this time, thousands of volunteer participants were examined, and their health indicators were monitored quarterly, throughout the entire period of the experiment.
Scientists divided all participants into two large groups. People from the first group regularly took all kinds of vitamin supplements, and participants in the second group took an "empty" drug - a placebo.
When the study was completed, the University of Colorado staff summed up the results. The results were actually stunning: constant monitoring of the subjects' health showed that regular intake of multivitamins significantly increases the risk of malignant processes and cardiovascular pathologies. For example, those volunteers who took large amounts of retinol acetate (vitamin A) had a tendency to develop lung cancer in 20% of cases. The use of excessive doses of ascorbic acid increased the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases by almost 35%.
Folic acid, despite its undoubted benefits, when used for a long time in excessive doses can provoke the development of colon polyposis, as well as increase the growth of existing polyps.
Among other things, the general excess of vitamins in the body affected the deterioration of memorization processes and long-term memory in the participants of the experiment.
Having carefully analyzed the information obtained during the study, the specialists came to a unanimous opinion: regular use of vitamin preparations cannot serve as a preventive measure against oncology and heart disease. On the contrary, for a person who does not have problems with nutrition and absorption of natural vitamins from food, taking synthetic vitamins can be if not useless, then even harmful.
According to the unanimous opinion of medical professionals, additional intake of vitamin preparations is appropriate only when a person has a very poor diet or has digestive system diseases that make it difficult to absorb natural vitamins. Thus, additional intake of ascorbic acid is recommended for residents of the far north, and vitamin E should be taken by pregnant women for the normal development of the unborn child.
All other people can get the entire set of necessary vitamins from food - with a complete diet, this is quite enough for the body.
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