Multivitamins fading as other supplements gain favor

By Gabriella Dunn

Wichita Eagle

Watch out multivitamins, here comes vitamin D, fish oil and probiotics.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found Americans aren’t using multivitamins as much, but probiotics, vitamin D and fish oil are gaining popularity. This could be tied to recent studies that questioned the value of multivitamins for preventing major health conditions.

And researchers said they were unsurprised by the increase in vitamin D and fish oil use, because the two have been more thoroughly researched recently. Some of those studies have suggested fish oil can curb the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular trouble.

Other studies suggest vitamin D could protect against a range of conditions, including cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis — but clinical trials aren’t finished.

The growing popularity of taking certain vitamins and minerals in isolation can be seen particularly through vitamin D. In 1999 and 2000, the findings showed, one in 20 people used vitamin D. That number jumped to nearly one in five in 2011 and 2012.

Probiotics, or “good” bacteria for the digestive system, have also gained increasing media attention in recent years.

And with multivitamins on the outs, some other supplements rose in popularity, too, including coenzyme Q10, green tea extracts and omega-3 fatty acids — mostly in the form of fish oil pills.

— Wichita Eagle