Advertisement

Is it advisable to take multivitamins daily?

Dr Chandra M Gulhati
Editor, MIMS,
New Delhi

Q: Can I take Rudimin (multivitamin) tablets daily for a long period?

A:Absolutely not. Vitamin supplement should only be taken when there is proven, documented deficiency of a specific vitamin. It is not realised by the consumers that regular multivitamin supplements intake doubles a man’s risk of developing fatal prostate cancer. These findings come from a prospective study of 295,344 men who were free of cancer at baseline. Over five years of follow up, 10,241 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of these, 1,476 had advanced malignancy. Men who took multivitamins daily had a 98 per cent higher risk of developing fatal prostate cancer than those who never used the supplements.