The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7239 p324
8 March 2003

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Annals of Internal Medicine abstract (more)

Daily vitamin dose reduces infection

A daily dose of a multivitamin and mineral supplement appears to reduce the incidence of infections among adults, results of a new study show. The finding was most pronounced for adults with type 2 diabetes, a group at greater risk for micronutrient deficiency than the general population.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina school of medicine conducted a randomised, controlled trial involving 130 people who took either a multivitamin or placebo tablet every day for one year. More participants taking placebo than multivitamin reported an infectious illness (73 per cent vs 43 per cent, P<0.001). In addition, more people in the placebo group missed work because of infection (57 per cent vs 21 per cent, P<0.001).

"Multivitamin and mineral supplements are convenient and relatively inexpensive," say the researchers. "If our results are confirmed in a larger trial, the widespread implementation of this preventive measure could have a substantial economic impact."

Among the 51 participants with type 2 diabetes, 93 per cent of those taking placebo reported at least one infection compared with 17 per cent of those who were given the active supplement (P<0.001).

The researchers say that participants with diabetes were more likely to be deficient in one or more micronutrients at the start of the study. "It remains uncertain, however, whether these small differences in nutritional status were enough to account for the dramatic difference in outcome."

There was no difference between the physical and mental health of the two groups as assessed by a standard questionnaire (Annals of Internal Medicine 2003;138:365).