There is nothing called multivitamin deficiency: Leading Diabetologist slams Haleon's Centrum Advertisement
New Delhi: Eminent diabetologist Padmashri Dr V Mohan recently took to social media platform X to rebuke a multivitamin advertisement, asserting that "there's nothing called multivitamin deficiency."
The Chennai-based doctor and scientist, who is also the chairman of Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, criticized the ad's claim that "8 in 10 Indians may be multivitamin deficient," deeming it misleading.
In its advertisement, the multivitamin brand Centrum stated that "8 in 10 Indians may be multivitamin deficient*", followed by stating, "Every member of your family requires the right amount of multivitamins along with their daily diet. But do you think their daily diet is balanced?.That's why your family should take multivitamins every day, "
" Choose Centrum, World's #1 Multivitamin Brand**, now customised as per daily multivitamin needs of every member of your family," the advertisement further reads.
Centrum is a brand of multivitamins produced by Haleon (formerly GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare)
Responding to the print advertisement given by the company in a leading daily, the internationally acclaimed diabetologist noted that there is nothing called multivitamin deficiency, further stating that unless there is a specific deficiency in vitamins such as D or B12, the indiscriminate use of multivitamins may not be beneficial and may even do harm. He emphasized that multivitamins ususally do not provide enough of the deficient vitamin.
He highlighted the potential harm of indiscriminate multivitamin consumption, noting that in case of deficiency of any vitamin, " much more of the deficient vitamin will be needed, and much amount may not be available in a multivitamin tablet or capsule. Also, only the deficient vitamin needs to be replaced . Giving all other vitamins and minerals regularly when there is no deficiency can actually cause harm"
In his post, Dr Mohan also tagged Dr KV Babu, a physician from Kerala who sends out RTI (Right To Information) applications on public health issues that concern him as a citizen and a doctor. He is known for challenging Patanjali’s misleading advertisements
Responses to Dr Mohan's post varied, with some individuals expressing gratitude for shedding light on the issue, while others raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with indiscriminate multivitamin consumption. Dr Mohan engaged with commenters, providing further clarification on the limitations of multivitamin supplementation and advocating for targeted vitamin replacement based on individual deficiencies.
Dr Mohan's insights encourage further research and consideration of individualized approaches to nutrition and supplementation. This exchange drew attention to concerns surrounding multivitamin consumption, particularly in cases where deficiencies are not clearly identified. One user, Dr Gunjan Deshpande further contributed to the discussion by highlighting the high sugar content in certain types of children's multivitamins, raising additional health considerations.
Another X user, Arun46, suggested that a person could be deficient in multiple vitamins simultaneously, necessitating the use of multivitamins. Dr. Mohan responded by highlighting the challenge of obtaining sufficient amounts of deficient vitamins from multivitamin tablets or capsules. He stressed the importance of replacing only the deficient vitamin rather than administering unnecessary vitamins and minerals.
" But then much more of the deficient vitamin will be needed and that much amount may not be available in a multivitamin tablet or capsule. . Also, only the deficient vitamin needs to be replaced . Giving all other vitamins and minerals regularly when there is no deficiency can actually cause harm," Dr Mohan noted
The Medical Dialogues team reached out to Haleon for a comment on the matter, but the company had not provided a response at the time of the publication of the story.
