Dr Amir Khan appeared on ITV's Lorraine to share his controversial opinion on multivitamins and their worth, or lack thereof, when it comes to our health and wellbeing.
Multivitamins might be a staple in your routine already, or maybe you're thinking about buying some to start the New Year off 'right' and supercharge your body with all that supposed nutritional goodness. But Dr Amir has some advice; don't bother.
Appearing on ITV's Lorraine, Ranvir Singh asked the health expert a question a lot of us often think when we're swallowing down our morning dose of vitamins, "What vitamins should we be stocking up on - are they actually worth it?"
Sighing and bracing himself to dish out his harsh advice, Dr Amir revealed, "A lot of people aren't going to be happy about this, but there is no real evidence that taking a multivitamin every day, if you have a nutritionally balanced diet, has any beneficial effect."
He added, "There's no evidence that it reduces your risk of heart disease or any other kind of illnesses because you're taking that multivitamin."
However, there is one vitamin that he does recommend taking and that's vitamin D. He explained that, most of the time, sunlight and foods rich in vitamin D are enough to keep up our nutrient levels. But, in the winter months, there 'simply isn't enough' light around to give us the right amount of it naturally. So, just as the NHS recommends everyone take a vitamin D supplement, so does Dr Amir.
But if we're not taking multivitamins, where should we be getting our essential nutrients from? "I would say advocate for food rather than vitamins," the expert said.
The kind of foods Dr Amir recommend include 'dark green leafy vegetables' which are really nutrient dense, and liver and eggs which he says are 'super healthy and have lots of nutrients in them,' making them just one of the great foods that are high in Vitamin B among other nutrients. Then there are also nuts and seeds like walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds which are some of the best foods to maintain your immune system as they're rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fibre.
"Sweet potatoes are really good as well," Dr Amir added, "and, obviously, omega three fatty acids found in fatty fish like salmon and tuna - they will do you the world of good.
"Get you nutrition though food," he concluded. "Don't pull out those pills, go and have some walnuts instead."
But there are some exceptions to Dr Amir's rule to avoid vitamins and prioritise food. He shared that pregnant women often need to take folic acid and iron for baby development, and that older adults, particularly those who are over 60-years-old, should be taking vitamins too as their nutrient absorption may be slowed down due to their age.
There's also those who may have a malabsorption or gut problem like Crohn's disease, or who may suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, or who have a nutritional deficiency, and these people should also take vitamins or supplements, especially if their doctor or healthcare professional has said they need to do so.
