“More than one third of Americans are estimated to take MVMs daily. We’re pleased NIH is committed to educating the public about dietary supplements,” said David Smith, Ph.D., chief science officer, Pharmavite. “NHANES data indicates American diets are lacking essential nutrients. Multi and single letter vitamins help fill those nutritional gaps. Combined with a healthy diet and exercise, supplement usage helps promote optimal health.”

World-renowned University of California, Berkeley senior scientist and conference presenter Bruce Ames, Ph.D. underscored the value of taking multivitamins for optimal health, saying he eats a healthy Mediterranean diet, but takes a multivitamin daily as insurance.

The 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that most Americans do not reach the daily recommended intake for most nutrients—they are most deficient in calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc and vitamins A, C and E. As a result, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend sensible food and physical activity first, but also recognize that “fortified foods and dietary supplements may be useful sources of one or more nutrients that otherwise might be consumed in less than recommended amounts.”

MVM Research

While the panel’s findings indicated research was lacking in some areas, the focus was on the absence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). There is a wealth of epidemiological evidence from leading institutions, such as the Harvard School of Public Health, supporting vitamin benefits; the majority of these trials have been positive.

“When MVM trials have failed to show a particular nutrient benefit, it’s generally due to the study design—vitamins can not be expected to perform the same disease treatment as drugs,” said Smith. “MVMs should be used for long-term health benefits.”

The panel was conclusive about some nutrient benefits. Panelist Nigel Paneth, M.D., M.P.H. said “a homerun has already been hit with neural tube defects and folic acid. There’s an opportunity to discover something really big [through additional research].” The March of Dimes and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend “that all women of childbearing age take a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid every day, as part of a health diet.”

The panel’s draft statement concluded “Within some studies and/or subgroups of the populations, there is encouraging evidence of health benefits, e.g., increased bone mineral density and decreased fractures in postmenopausal women who supplement with calcium and vitamin D.” A careful review of a vitamin E trial presented by Benjamin Caballero found no increase in death due to vitamin E intake. Special population groups were encouraged to talk to their health care professional regarding certain nutrients such as beta carotene.

Dietary Supplement Regulation

Pharmavite fully supports the panel’s call for full implementation of existing regulations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and new regulation in the area of adverse event reporting. The dietary supplement industry is hopeful that long-awaited Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) will soon be issued by the FDA. Pharmavite currently follows rigorous GMPs set by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and participates in that organization's dietary supplement verification program.