Millions take one a day, yet who they benefit and whether they are even needed remain debated.
“Multivitamins have a lot of confusion surrounding them,” said Kelly Devine Rickert, a Franciscan Wellcare registered dietitian and health coach. “Often people think, ‘The more vitamins and minerals I consume, the healthier I will become,’ and that is just not true.”
Despite this, the use of dietary and nutrient supplements is growing in the United States, with about one-third of adults taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement regularly, according to the American Dietetic Association.