6 reasons to stop suggesting supplements

Most patients do not need vitamins or supplements despite doctors recommending fish oil and multivitamins without evidence to support the practice, a new patient resource in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine says.

“For years, doctors have recommended certain supplements, such as fish oil and multivitamins; however, these claims have not been supported by evidence from medical research,” the patient resource says.

Available for free, the resource provides common questions and answers about vitamins and nutritional supplements.

Here are six things to know about supplements included in the brochure:

1. Most people don't require a supplement since a balanced diet provides all the vitamins and nutrients needed for good health. The body is typically better at absorbing nutrients from food than from