Vitamin pills don’t work, says study

VITAMIN and mineral supplements are ineffective and can damage health, a new study claims.

Research by scientists at Oxford University found some vitamin pills had no health benefits and that money would be better spent on fresh fruit and vegetables.

The Food Safety Authority in Britain also recommended intake limits on nine well-known supplements.

Irish Food Safety Promotion Board dietician Claire MacEvilly said the attitude of the board would be very similar to that of the FSA in Britain.

There are certain stages in a person’s life, such as pregnancy, when supplements are necessary. However, it is preferable to gain nutrients from fruit and vegetables as the phytochemicals within these foods make the best use of vitamins and minerals in the body,” Ms MacEvilly said.

But Irish Association of Health Stores spokesperson Ann Bracken described the Oxford study as scaremongering. “This research was carried out on a group of 70- and 80-year-olds with coronary heart disease,” she claimed. “How could vitamin supplements reverse this?

“Nobody in Ireland has ever died from a vitamin overdose and there are hundreds of studies that have cited the beneficial effects of supplements,” said Ms Bracken.

The Irish Medicines Board said it will review the findings of the Oxford report.