Vitamin Value Questioned

Benefits of multivitamins called into question.
The Washington Post (1/26, Butler) reports that despite the multitude of varieties of multivitamins available, there is "little evidence that any of these products actually result in better health." A study published last February in the Archives of Internal Medicine "tracked more than 161,000 post-menopausal women over eight years and found that multivitamins had no effect whatsoever in 10 health-related categories, from the rate of the most common cancers, heart attack and stroke to overall mortality." Myrtle McCulloch, a clinical assistant professor of nutrition at Georgetown University, says that without FDA regulation, "manufacturers don't have to prove their effectiveness," which "makes an independent stamp of approval from the nonprofit U.S. Pharmacopeia essential to guarantee a certain level of quality."