Department of Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center (Wakefield Campus), University Hospital of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2015 Mar;31(2):143-52. doi: 10.1097/MOG.0000000000000150.
Vitamin supplements are used by large numbers of older adults. Although vitamins serve several functions in the body, the benefits or harm of routine supplementation are far from clear. Data from studies over the last decade are reviewed to enable an understanding.
Summarized data from studies conducted over the last few years, pertinent to the use of vitamins, as multivitamin combinations and as individual vitamins specifically A, D, E, C, and the B group, are presented. This review targets the benefits and harm of multivitamins when used to lower the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, visual disorders (e.g., cataracts and age-related macular degeneration), and bone disease. The effects of vitamins on total mortality are discussed. In addition, isolated or multiple vitamin deficiencies, their predisposing settings and manifestations from mild-to-life-threatening illness are discussed.
Data from studies demonstrate considerable variations, most confirming little to no benefit following supplementation in healthy adults. However, clear roles exist for vitamin supplementation in states of deficiency and in subgroups of older adults at high risk for deficiency of specific or multiple vitamins. In these settings, vitamin supplements help prevent or correct deficiency and related manifestations.
大量老年人使用维生素补充剂。尽管维生素在体内有多种功能，但常规补充的益处或危害还远不清楚。本文回顾了过去十年的研究数据，以帮助理解这一问题。
总结了过去几年进行的与维生素使用相关的研究数据，包括多种维生素组合以及特定维生素 A、D、E、C 和 B 族的使用。本综述针对使用多种维生素降低癌症、心脑血管疾病、视觉障碍（如白内障和年龄相关性黄斑变性）和骨骼疾病风险的益处和危害。还讨论了维生素对总死亡率的影响。此外，还讨论了孤立或多种维生素缺乏症及其在轻度至危及生命的疾病中的易患环境和表现。
研究数据表明存在很大差异，大多数研究证实健康成年人补充后几乎没有益处。然而，在缺乏状态以及特定或多种维生素缺乏风险高的老年亚组中，维生素补充具有明确的作用。在这些情况下，维生素补充剂有助于预防或纠正缺乏症及相关表现。
