Can multivitamins make up for an unhealthy diet?

Although some people take multivitamins as "insurance" to compensate for an unhealthy or poor diet, experts aren't sure this strategy works. A few years ago, a comprehensive review of studies done on supplements found that multivitamins did not reduce the risks of any chronic condition. The experts who reviewed the report concluded that they could not recommend either for or against taking multivitamins to prevent chronic disease.

Nutritionists have long emphasized that, if possible, you should get all the nutrients you need by eating a well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, fish and whole grains. If you can't consume a variety of foods, if you're a vegetarian or vegan, if you have a medical condition that makes you unable to absorb nutrients from food efficiently or if you have a higher-than-usual need for certain nutrients (you're pregnant or breast-feeding, say), talk to your doctor about whether taking multivitamins can "make up" for the nutrients you may not be getting from food.

Multivitamins still provide benefits even with a balanced diet. A balanced diet is, however, the best way to ensure you are getting the nutrients that you need. The nutrients are absorbed into the body best if taken around the same time every day with the same type of food or snack. Unless you have a medical condition that would cause your body not to absorb the medications properly.