Multiple Supplement Users Have Lower Rates of Chronic Disease

The Landmark Dietary Supplement Study performed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley studied 278 men and women who took multiple dietary supplements for at least 20 years and compared them to 778 people who took either no supplements or a single multivitamin. The people who took multiple supplements, including a multivitamin, vitamin C, vitamin D, omega-3 supplements, etc., were 73% less likely to have diabetes and 39% less likely to have high blood pressure. The multiple supplement users also had more favorable levels of cholesterol, c-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation), and triglycerides. The multiple supplement users had higher blood levels of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and folate. The authors of the study concluded that multiple supplements users had more optimal blood nutrient levels and lower chronic disease risk. The researchers concluded:

“This group of long-term multiple dietary supplement users consumed a broad array of vitamin/mineral, herbal, and condition-specific dietary supplements on a daily basis. They were more likely to have optimal concentrations of chronic disease-related biomarkers, and less likely to have suboptimal blood nutrient concentrations, elevated blood pressure, and diabetes.”