Megavitamin therapy
| Claims | Health effects from very high doses of vitamins. |
|---|---|
| Related scientific disciplines | vitamins, dietary supplements |
| Year proposed | 1930s |
| Notable proponents | Frederick Klenner, Linus Pauling |
| (Overview of pseudoscientific concepts) | |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Alternative medicine |
|---|
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Megavitamin therapy is the use of large doses of
food faddism or even quackery.[7][8][9] Research on nutrient supplementation in general suggests that some nutritional supplements might be beneficial, and that others might be harmful;[10][11][12] several specific nutritional therapies are associated with an increased likelihood of the condition they are meant to prevent.[13]
Multivitamin vs megavitamin
Megavitamin therapy must be distinguished from the usual "vitamin supplementation" approach of traditional multivitamin pills. Megavitamin doses are far higher than the levels of vitamins ordinarily available through western diets. A study of 161,000 individuals (post-menopausal women) provided, in the words of the authors, "convincing evidence that multivitamin use has little or no influence on the risk of common cancers, cardiovascular disease, or total mortality in postmenopausal women".[14]
History
In the 1930s and 1940s, some scientific and clinical evidence suggested that there might be beneficial uses of vitamins C, E, and niacin in large doses. Beginning in the 1930s in
niacin (Vitamin B3) to treat hypercholesterolemia.[19][20] In a 1956 publication entitled Biochemical Individuality, Roger J. Williams introduced concepts for individualized megavitamins and nutrients.[21] Megavitamin therapies were also publicly advocated by Linus Pauling in the late 1960s.[22]
Usage as therapy
Although megavitamin therapies still largely remain outside of the structure of
naturopathic medicine.[23] The proposed efficacy of various megavitamin therapies to reduce cancer risk has been contradicted by results of one clinical trial.[24]
Vitamin C
The US
Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin C for adult women is 76 mg/day and for adult men 90 mg/day. Although Linus Pauling was known for highly respectable research in chemistry and biochemistry, he was also known for promoting the consumption of vitamin C in large doses.[25] Although he claimed and stood firm in his claim that consuming over 1,000 mg is helpful for one’s immune system when fighting a head cold, the results of empirical research do not align with this view. A meta-analysis concluded that supplementary vitamin C significantly lowered serum uric acid, considered a risk factor for gout.[26] One population study reported an inverse correlation between dietary vitamin C and risk of gout.[27] A review of clinical trials in the treatment of colds with small and large doses of Vitamin C has established that there is no evidence that it decreases the incidence of common colds.[28] After 33 years of research, it is still not established whether vitamin C can be used as a treatment for cancer.[29]
Vitamin E
The US
tolerable upper intake level (UL) at 1,000 mg (1,500 IU) per day derived from animal models that demonstrated bleeding at high doses.[30] In the US, the popularity for vitamin E as a dietary supplement peaked around 2000, with popular doses of 400, 800 and 1000 IU/day. Declines in usage were attributed to publications of studies that showed either no benefits or negative consequences from vitamin E supplements.[31] One meta-analysis showed no association between vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular events (nonfatal stroke or myocardial infarction) or cardiovascular mortality.[32] Another meta-analysis concluded that high-dosage vitamin E increased all-cause mortality.[33]
Niacin
The US
lipid-lowering medications.[34] Systematic reviews found no effect of niacin on cardiovascular disease or death, in spite of raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Reported side effects include an increased risk of diabetes.[35][36][37]
See also
Related topics
- Codex Alimentarius
- Essential nutrient
- Health freedom movement
- Life extension
- List of ineffective cancer treatments
Vitamin topics
- Multivitamin
- Naturopathic medicine
- Orthomolecular medicine
- Hypervitaminosis (toxic vitamin intake)
- Hypervitaminosis A
- Hypervitaminosis D
- Vitamin B3 § Toxicity
- Megavitamin-B6 syndrome
References
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- ^ "Vitamins & Supplements Center – Nutritional, Herbal, Dietary, and More - WebMD".
- The Great Courses
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- ^ Niacin tablet label Updated March 14, 2013. Page accessed Feb 11, 2016
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