Does taking vitamins really provide benefits to complement the diet?

Hello, This is a very pertinent question since the multivitamin industry has flourished in recent years. Although most studies agree that multivitamins are not bad for your health at the recommended doses, the benefits of these products have not been proven. In certain specific populations (elderly people, vegans, heavy drinkers, heavy smokers), taking such a product can be interesting. However, for the general population, no study to date has clearly proven that taking a multivitamin prevents certain diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. Thus, we are in a grey area where either multivitamins really have no effect or the studies so far have not been done well enough to prove it. The only vitamin that is recommended for the general population by Health Canada is vitamin D. This vitamin is rarely found in the diet and our bodies only produce it when in contact with the sun. Being a northern country, the amount of sunlight does not allow us to have the recommended dose of 600 to 800 IU per day.It should be noted that no multivitamin provides all the elements (vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, etc.) that can be found in food. For example, Centrum gummies do not contain, among other things, calcium, magnesium and iron. Also, the quantities present in multivitamins are too small to make up for an outright deficiency in a particular vitamin and/or mineral So, for a healthy person in general, I recommend focusing more on a balanced and varied diet to get all the vitamins/minerals from the food. A good diet has been proven to be effective in preventing a host of diseases. To this end, it may be appropriate to consult a nutritionist to see what needs to be improved in your diet. If the dietary approach is difficult, then it is possible (but optional) to take a multivitamin. If you want more information, the following site is relevant: http://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Solutions/PlantesSupplements/Fiche.aspx?doc=multivitamines_ps (go to the bottom section ''The opinion of our nutritionist'' and click on the link to the opinion of Hélène Baribeau, nutritionist)