Multivitamins and weight loss: Any connection between the two?

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jyoti_0
jyoti_0 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
Is there any connection between multivitamins and weight loss?
What has been your experience?
Curious to know, since I feel I lose weight when I am taking multivitamins. Maybe just my wishful thinking :smile:
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Replies

  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 262 Member
    edited December 2022
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    I’ve wondered this too, but I think there are a few things at play. First, when I’m remembering to take my multi and log it, it also usually means I’m being a diligent logger, which means I’m probably losing weight. So correlation, not causation.

    Second, taking a multi rounds out my nutrients, and I just feel better in general. So I’m more likely to be active. And, when I take a multi, I also take hair, skin, and nail gummies. So I feel pretty! Feeling good is motivation for me to keep at it. Again, correlation!

    However, there could certainly be some chemistry in the multi that helps with hormones, water retention, etc.

  • JaysFan82
    JaysFan82 Posts: 851 Member
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    Multivitamins are a massive scam for the most part. You can easily get those vitamins from eating a healthy diet.
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 262 Member
    edited December 2022
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    To support my statement above that taking a multivitamin makes me feel better and therefore more likely to be active, here is a link to just one publication from a reputable source that indicates nutrition deficiency can lead to fatigue.

    https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/could-a-vitamin-or-mineral-deficiency-be-behind-your-fatigue

    Again, this is just one, but it’s worth a Google. Supplements aren’t magic energy or weight loss pills. But deficiency in certain nutrients can certainly lead to couch potatoing.

    I saw some links to publications about nutrient deficiency and cognitive and mental effects too. I did not explore yet, but at least for me, feeling well all around is definitely linked to my performance, and ultimate success or failure when it comes to my overall weight loss (through diet and exercise) regime.

    Also, for what it’s worth, I found the following about older adults and supplements (I’m almost 51).
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17659898/
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 983 Member
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    i took a multivitamin for decades every day at my highest weight, lowest weight and all weights in between. it didn't seem to affect weight loss or gain. i can't say if it made me feel better since i've taken one almost every day for over 30 years...
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,678 Member
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    Rockmama1111 wrote: »
    To support my statement above that taking a multivitamin makes me feel better and therefore more likely to be active, here is a link to just one publication from a reputable source that indicates nutrition deficiency can lead to fatigue.

    https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/could-a-vitamin-or-mineral-deficiency-be-behind-your-fatigue

    Again, this is just one, but it’s worth a Google. Supplements aren’t magic energy or weight loss pills. But deficiency in certain nutrients can certainly lead to couch potatoing.

    I saw some links to publications about nutrient deficiency and cognitive and mental effects too. I did not explore yet, but at least for me, feeling well all around is definitely linked to my performance, and ultimate success or failure when it comes to my overall weight loss (through diet and exercise) regime.

    Also, for what it’s worth, I found the following about older adults and supplements (I’m almost 51).
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17659898/

    Had you quoted my full post, it would've been clear that I said there could be a effect of sub-par nutrition on energy level thus an indirect effect on weight loss. I still believe the statistically probable effect would be small: I'm most familiar with the USA, and it's true that sub-ideal nutrition is quite common . . . but nutrition so bad that it has that type of effect is far less common. Meaningful for some people? Perhaps. For most? Improbable, I'd still say.

    I do take supplements (more than the average person, probably). I do think taking some supplements can be a good idea if one is selective, and think it's reasonable to take a multivitamin as sort of an insurance policy (even though I no longer take a multi myself).

    Here on MFP, though, we sometimes see people saying "I hate vegetables and fruits and don't much eat them, but I'm OK because I take vitamins". It's not the same. That's where I'm coming from.

    I've been alive long enough to see quite a few essential or beneficial nutrients discovered by science. I assume we're not done finding them yet. Once they're identified, they tend to be added to supplements . . . but they were in food all along. In addition, certain micronutrients are better absorbed in the forms in which they occur in food, and a few are more toxic if overdosed in the forms that are commonly used in supplements. (Vitamin A is a case of the latter.)

    That's my reasoning behind saying that a person should try to get all the necessary nutrients from food. I probably should've added that it's fine to take a moderate sort of multivitamin as insurance. (Some of the megadose health-food-store-type ones are scary, IMO.)

    FWIW, I'm 67, so definitely older; lost weight at the kind of base calorie goal you're talking about at age 59-60, and on top of that I'm vegetarian, so the nutritional situation is a little more complex than for omnivores. ("Little" is not sarcastic in that sentence: The difference is pretty minor IME - a few things to be more careful about - B12, iron, calcium, etc.)

    I didn't find it all that time consuming or complex to get good nutrition on lowered calories, after taking a few weeks to dial in some good eating patterns. I'm not dissing you here: How complex, time-consuming or difficult it is is going to vary quite a lot from person to person. Our starting points differ, tastes differ, and more. I'm making the comment that I didn't find it difficult simply to balance yours, lest those who worry that nutrition is way too complex and confusing decide it's not worth even making an effort. Humans are adaptable omnivores, we don't need to be exactly exact every single day (averages over short time periods matter more), etc.

    I'm lucky to truly enjoy veggies and fruits, and find them filling - a boon during weight loss. For me, most of the micronutrients fall into place nicely with my routine veggie/fruit intake . . . but I target 10 x 80g veggie/fruit servings daily, with an emphasis on varied types and colors, and almost always meet or exceed that. Most Americans get fewer than the recommended 5 servings. That's not a good thing, in terms of micronutrient intake.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,487 Member
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    Think about it: how would a vitamin help with weightloss? You lose weight by eating less or moving more, or a combination of both.

    Does a vitamin make you move more? Hmm.. maybe, if you do have a deficiency. But the average multi vitamins are of rather poor quality, things that block absorption of some vitamins are included, and dosage is generally too low to do much.
    Do vitamins make you eat less? Not really, apart from a placebo effect
    Ok, then do vitamins wrap up food and transport it out of your body without it getting absorbed? Nope, really, not.
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 262 Member
    edited December 2022
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Had you quoted my full post, it would've been clear that I said there could be a effect of sub-par nutrition on energy level thus an indirect effect on weight loss.

    I quoted the part I was responding to, which is the advice to aim to get nutrients from food. I was explaining my experience that it’s pretty hard to do, especially when reducing calories. That’s all.

    My second post today did not quote you because I was following up on my own claim that I feel better all around and therefore tend to be more active. I have a few aging-related annoyances that improve when I have optimum nutrition. I wanted to support my claim with articles, and if anything, it was for people who might see the other claim above that multivitamins are a scam.

    OP asked if there is a connection. I think there could be, though maybe not a direct cause—as I think/hope I articulated. These are things worth considering and exploring.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,056 Member
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    zebasschick wrote: »
    i took a multivitamin for decades every day at my highest weight, lowest weight and all weights in between. it didn't seem to affect weight loss or gain. i can't say if it made me feel better since i've taken one almost every day for over 30 years...

    and conversely I did not ever take multivitamins - neither at my highest weight, lowest weight or anything in between.

    I took folic acid/calcium when pregnant many years ago and briefly iron supplements, for 6 months as recomended by a doctor.
    But never a multi vitamin.

    if you need/want to take supplements, do so - but no, any weight loss effect is likely to be correlation, as posters above described, rather than any actual linked effect.



  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,714 Member
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    I take Vitamin C and Vitamin D and I notice they help me with my energy level, particularly during the dark, cold winter months. So, increased activity could be a positive effect of vitamins.

    Also, I take them with a large glass of water before eating my lunch, so the water intake could cause me to eat less than I would without the water. Another possible positive side effect, but certainly not a direct cause of weight loss.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,368 Member
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    Back in my 40s I discussed vitamin supplementation with my eye doctor as I noticed the clinic was promoting a certain brand of vitamins for "eye health" and I have family history of ARMD. He said to take lutein. At the time, lutein was only found in the 50+ multis so that's what I started taking. Of course, now I'm well qualified to take a 50+ supplement lol.

    I look at it as insurance. I certainly don't want to feel like I have to shovel in kale and spinach every single day just to get my lutein, especially in the winter months when cold salads become less appealing. Or play the "gee, how do I cook my spinach today?" game.

    Taking a multi (or any other supplement, I have a few extras) hasn't had any appreciable impact on my weight, however.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    The only correlation I could see is if one were deficient in certain vitamins like D or B12 they would likely see an increase in energy by supplementing with vitamins which would cause them to move more and increase their CO. I was D deficient for quite awhile and always fatigued because of it until my Dr. had me start supplementing that.

    Another possible correlation could be that if you start being mindful of taking a vitamin supplement you may also be being more mindful of other health things like better nutrition in general, regular exercise, etc.
  • I_AM_ISRAEL
    I_AM_ISRAEL Posts: 160 Member
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    Yes, micronutrients help your body perform better.
    Think of it like a vehicle.
    Sure the motor Jan’s tranny are strong, but how is the air filter? The oil levels? Tranny fluid?
    How about making sure there’s no tiny leaks in your system?
    Can a watch perform well if it’s missing even the slightest cog?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,006 Member
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    I_AM_ISRAEL wrote: »
    Yes, micronutrients help your body perform better.
    Think of it like a vehicle.
    Sure the motor Jan’s tranny are strong, but how is the air filter? The oil levels? Tranny fluid?
    How about making sure there’s no tiny leaks in your system?
    Can a watch perform well if it’s missing even the slightest cog?

    Yeah, good analogy. Optimal performance. It doesn't create weight loss but allows the body to work at a level that is more efficient. Cheers

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,678 Member
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    neanderthin wrote: »
    I_AM_ISRAEL wrote: »
    Yes, micronutrients help your body perform better.
    Think of it like a vehicle.
    Sure the motor Jan’s tranny are strong, but how is the air filter? The oil levels? Tranny fluid?
    How about making sure there’s no tiny leaks in your system?
    Can a watch perform well if it’s missing even the slightest cog?

    Yeah, good analogy. Optimal performance. It doesn't create weight loss but allows the body to work at a level that is more efficient. Cheers

    Sure. But there's a context. Different sources paint that picture differently, but this is pretty standard.

    s8ml6fpqgtf0.jpg

    Truth in attribution: This is one Layne Norton posted on Facebook. It's about fat loss, in this case, but those about more performance oriented nutrition - muscle gain or CV performance - look pretty similar.

    Multivitamins can be a factor, but other things loom larger. Someone new to this - not sure whether OP is new - will benefit most from dialing in the foundation factors, as a focus. But a sensible multi can't hurt, mostly . . . and might help.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,006 Member
    edited December 2022
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    Yeah Ann, I like Layne's hierarchy for weight loss, but I suspect the longest lived people on the planet wouldn't know what most of that means or be interested imo. Cheers
  • BartBVanBockstaele
    BartBVanBockstaele Posts: 623 Member
    edited December 2022
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    No measurable connection. Vitamins are useful because we need them. If we don't have enough, a deficiency develops and that is not good. More than we need has either no effect at all and if the excess intake is too high, it is harmful.

    As other posters have noted, multivitamins and other supplements are largely a scam. They exploit the erroneous idea that if a thing is good, more of it is better. But vitamins and minerals are not good for us, they are necessary. There is a difference between those two terms. Think of a car: a car needs oil and if there is not enough, the car will be in trouble. However, adding more oil than it needs will do absolutely nothing and may cause problems.

    For the rest, the only way to lose fat is to ingest less energy than you need to stay alive. All the rest is secondary information that complicates the picture without adding anything particularly useful for weight loss.

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