{"id":1205,"date":"2014-05-30T15:01:12","date_gmt":"2014-05-30T22:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/?p=1205"},"modified":"2015-04-22T15:36:18","modified_gmt":"2015-04-22T22:36:18","slug":"the-vitamin-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2014\/05\/the-vitamin-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"The vitamin debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Debate over value of vitamin supplements rages on<\/h1>\n

Linus Pauling Institute researchers and three other institutions refuted recent claims that \u201cthe case is closed\u201d on whether or not most people should take a multivitamin\/mineral supplement to obtain vital micronutrients.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em> published researchers\u2019 response that portend this type of dietary supplement might help prevent chronic disease and improve general health without causing any harm\u2014well worth the cost of roughly three cents a day.<\/p>\n

To \u201ccall the case closed\u201d is wrong and \u201cmisinforms the public and the medical community,\u201d the researchers wrote. Their statements were a response to an editorial in the same publication last year that received widespread publicity.<\/p>\n

The statement was authored by nutrition experts from Oregon State University, the Children\u2019s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Tufts University and the Harvard University School of Public Health.<\/p>\n

While most nutrition experts agree that a balanced and nutritious diet is the best way to obtain needed nutrients, the researchers in this commentary point out that many Americans have a less-than-perfect diet \u2013 long on calories and short on nutrients – and the vast majority are deficient in one or more important micronutrients.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s na\u00efve to ignore the fact that most people have nutritional inadequacies, and wrong to condemn a daily supplement that could cover these nutritional gaps safely and at low cost,\u201d said Balz Frei<\/a>, distinguished professor Biochemistry and Biophysics in the College of Science as well as professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s strong evidence that such a supplement may help improve overall health, largely eliminate a deficiency disease, and even help prevent chronic disease,\u201d Frei said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous to ignore decades of nutrition research and tell the people of the United States they have no need for a supplement that could be so helpful, and costs about $1 a month.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The researchers raised the following points in their commentary:<\/p>\n