Conclusions Drawn From Multivitamin Studies Are Useless, Thanks To Flawed Methodologies

Poor methodology used in large clinical studies probing the value of vitamin supplements has rendered them mostly useless, according to U.S. scientists. Whether the studies defend or disparage the use of multivitamin and other micronutrient supplements, flaws in study design torpedo their value. Many studies have tried to analyze nutrients that are naturally available in the human diet the same way they would a powerful prescription drug, leading  to conclusions that have little scientific meaning, even less accuracy and often defy a wealth of other evidence, said one researcher. What is needed are new methodologies that accurately measure baseline nutrient levels, provide supplements or dietary changes only to participants who clearly are inadequate or deficient, and then study the resulting changes in their health.