Author
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KWAK, HO - TUFTS-HNRCA |
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BLUMBERG, JEFFREY - TUFTS-HNRCA |
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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2003 Publication Date: 6/1/2004 Citation: Kwak, H.K., Blumberg, J. 2004. Multivitamins. In: Hughes, D.A., Bendich, A., Darlington, L.G., editors. Diest and Human Immune Function. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, Inc. 185-202. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Dietary manipulation with vitamins has been used to beneficially affect immunity in patients and some studies suggest they may also serve in general populations to decrease the risk of infectious disease and chronic conditions associated with impaired immune responsiveness. While many studies have focused on the potential efficacy of interventions with one or two nutrients, many investigators have suggested the need to explore a more integrated approach which recognizes the dynamic interrelationship between essential nutrients. The use of a rationally formulated combination of nutrients could take advantage of the associated and independent pathways in immune functions known to be dependent upon these compounds. Multivitamin supplements are available as 'over-the-counter' commercial products in most countries. While there are no regulatory definitions of a 'multivitamin', these products are typically formulated with most or all of the eleven essential vitamins at doses near the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for each. The use of multivitamins to supplement the diet is an increasingly common practice in the United States. This situation has presented an opportunity to examine the relationship between vitamin intakes and immune functions and to provide a well established product category for clinical trials. This review of multivitamins and human immune functions emphasizes results from observational studies and clinical trials in which the effects of combinations of three or more vitamins on immunity have been reported. |
