The truth about vitamin supplements

Good information about vitamins is hard to find. With over 70% of Americans and 40% of Brits using them, it's a hugely lucrative market, which means numerous voices in the media and online pusing a pro-vitamin agenda. All without the scientific evidence to support their claims. 

So do we need vitamins to lead a healthy life? Or could these supplements actually cause serious health complications?

In this episode, Jonathan speaks with Prof. JoAnn Manson and Dr. Sarah Berry to better understand how vitamin supplements affect our health.

• JoAnn Manson is a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and one of the world's most cited researchers. She’s run multiple enormous studies with over 20,000 participants to uncover the real effects of vitamin supplementation on our health.
• Dr. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition, who has personally run over 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats.

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Timecodes:

00:00 - Introduction

02:29 - Quickfire questions

04:27 - Why are people confused about supplements?

05:17 - Which supplement does the majority of the population benefit from taking and why?

05:51 - What are dietary supplements and vitamins?

09:33 - Why is there so much advertising suggesting supplements?

10:54 - JoAnn’s research

14:07 - About vitamin C

15:15 - Megadosing

19:51 - VITAL and COSMOS trials

25:13 - Should we take vitamin D

27:37 - Omega-3

32:48 - Variation & personalization

36:51 - Actionable advice on supplements

38:45 - Should children take supplements?

42:13 - Should we all take a standard dose multivitamin?

44:54 - Summary

46:25 - Goodbyes

46:57 - Outro

Episode transcripts are available here.

Check the trials mentioned in today’s episode: AREDS 2, COSMOS, Physicians' Health Study II, VITAL

Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/saraheeberry

Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.