Vitamins and Minerals

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March 6, 2018

Vitamin and Mineral SupplementsWhat Clinicians Need to Know

JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH^1,2; Shari S. Bassuk, ScD¹

Author Affiliations Article Information

JAMA. 2018;319(9):859-860. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.21012

Dietary supplementation is approximately a $30 billion industry in the United States, with more than 90 000 products on the market. In recent national surveys, 52% of US adults reported use of at least 1 supplement product, and 10% reported use of at least 4 such products.¹ Vitamins and minerals are among the most popular supplements and are taken by 48% and 39% of adults, respectively, typically to maintain health and prevent disease.

Despite this enthusiasm, most randomized clinical trials of vitamin and mineral supplements have not demonstrated clear benefits for primary or secondary prevention of chronic diseases not related to nutritional deficiency. Indeed, some trials suggest that micronutrient supplementation in amounts that exceed the recommended dietary allowance (RDA)—eg, high doses of beta carotene, folic acid, vitamin E, or selenium—may have harmful effects, including increased mortality, cancer, and hemorrhagic stroke.²