Is Centrum actually doing anything or is it just good marketing? (UK)
Posted by Expert_Certain@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 29 comments
I’m a 39M based in the UK, fairly active (run a few times a week, generally eat OK), and I’ve been taking Centrum daily for about 6 months now.
Honestly… I can’t say I’ve noticed *any* difference. No energy boost, no recovery improvement, nothing obvious at all.
I get that vitamins aren’t meant to be some miracle fix, but with how widely recommended they are (and how big brands like Haleon position them), I expected *something* — even if it’s subtle.
So a couple of questions for people who know more than me:
* Am I doing something wrong here?
* Are multivitamins like Centrum actually worth it if you’re reasonably healthy already?
* Or is this basically expensive insurance / clever branding?
Also curious if people have moved away from the big household-name brands and noticed a difference with anything else (or just stopped altogether).
Feels like there’s a lot of trust placed in these companies, but not much real-world feedback beyond “you should take a multivitamin”.
Interested to hear what people actually think?
Demiboy94@reddit
Only supplements you really need are vitamin D (hard to absorb what you need from sunlight) and B12 (people are often lacking in this one without realising it). Plus iron if you have monthlies.
Eitherwise you should get everything you need from various vegetables
Tollowarn@reddit
Your body takes what it needs and you piss the rest out. So a healthy person with a good diet shouldn't need multi vitamins. However taking one a month or maybe one a week couldn't hurt.
Next time you're at the doctor's ask for a blood test if you are worried.
In general one a day multi vitamins are at best a placebo, at worce a scam.
gofancyninjaworld@reddit
Generally, no. If you lack a vitamin, rectifying the deficit will help you. If you don't, supplementing will do nothing. Excesses may even be harmful.
I do take a couple of specific vitamins but those are specifically in consultation with my GP. If you're worried, you can have your vitamin levels measured as part of your bloodwork (at the GP, not a store with something to sell you).
BongoHunter@reddit
At your age a balanced diet should be enough, as you get older then it makes a bit more sense to take them.
If your a vegan its probably sensible to take as a plant based diet won't cover all the bases (typically B12 is missing from plant based foods for example unless it's been added by the producer)
insanityarise@reddit
Only if you actually need them, probably better to get a blood test and check rather than just starting to take random pills.
There are loads of B12 fortified products these days, it's great! Plant milks, nutritional yeast, and of course, marmite.
B12 is added to animal products too, they just get the animals to take the supplement.
insanityarise@reddit
Probably better to see a dietician if you're worried about vitamin levels, or a blood test or something to see if you have any deficiencies.
I supplement the following:
As far as I understand, the problem with multi-vitamins is you probably don't know what you need to supplement because we're all different, and have different diets, and you probably also haven't checked how much of everything is in the multi-vitamin anyway, how would you ever know if you're getting too much or too little of something?
boldstrategy@reddit
I take multi vitamins because of a health issue where I need higher dosage as my liver can’t absorb them properly, and I am limited with what I can eat. For the average person, as long as you have a good diet, nothing.
PoolRamen@reddit
It's "worth it" in that since it's a brand, it's probably safer than some alphabet soup vendor on Amazon.
Multivitamins are only truly valuable if you're actually missing something from your diet.
fiveofspades94@reddit
Reiterating what others have said, get some bloods done. If there was a specific health concern then go to the doc for that.
If you still want to take a vitamin for whatever effects, real or placebo, switch to supermarket own brands. Centrum is wildly spenny.
PocketOos@reddit
Very well marketed,and way overpriced. Eat some good grub instead.
Master-Trick2850@reddit
multivitamins largely do nothing
Dolphin_Spotter@reddit
They do give you very expensive piss
wimpires@reddit
It also makes it nice and glowing
AbjectGovernment1247@reddit
I'll have to increase the price on my Only Fans.
😄
ClarifyingMe@reddit
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/is-there-really-any-benefit-to-multivitamins
ServerLost@reddit
If you're eating a balanced diet probably not. Creatine and vitamin D the only supplements proven to work far as I know.
PootMcGroot@reddit
If you have a normal varied diet, and a normal level of health, supplemental vitamins and minerals are mostly making expensive piss, because you're almost certainly getting everything you need already.
The exceptions are vitamin d (which isn't a vitamin, it's a hormone, and is recommened at the UK's latitude), and iron for women with heavy periods. There are others for specific conditions, but you'll know if that's the case.
these_metal_hands@reddit
About six months after I started taking a multi vitamin I saw a doctor for an annual check up. They did blood work, and the doctor asked me If I take a multivitamin. I said yes, thinking I was going to be congratulated. He said he could tell because I had high levels of certain vitamins and that I shouldn't bother lol.
I felt exactly the same, broadly speaking, before during and after my experiment with multi vitamins.
Wonderful_Affect_664@reddit
Stop taking them for a while and see if you notice any difference. That’s the best way to tell if they are working.
Bec21-21@reddit
Do you believe you were vitamin deficient before starting taking Centrum? If so, what makes you think that?
Unless you are deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral taking multi vitamins is going to make you feel any different (unless you take too many which in some cases could be fatal).
Most people do not need to be taking multivitamins. Many people are deficient in vitamin D, so you might want to take that. I was deficient in vitamin D (confirmed by my doctor via a blood test). I was advised to take vitamin d tablets so I do and am no longer deficient. I don’t feel any different.
beejiu@reddit
If you feel low on energy, it's probably worth speaking to a doctor firstly. Supplements generally only have a measurable effect if you are deficient in the first place, and most people are not bar vitamin D.
edent@reddit
What made you think you needed to take a supplement?
For most people, they're unnecessary. There are some studies that show Vitamin D is useful to take - especially if you spend a lot of time indoors. Similarly, if you've had a blood test your doctor might recommend something if you're deficient.
The only positive impact I've seen is that I can now donate blood because my iron levels are high enough.
Unhappy-Meal-1646@reddit
If you feel fine, chances are you’re not deficient (not a doctor)
If you’re not, you can request a blood test from a GP
If the results come back with deficiencies, most can be addressed with cheaper, specific vitamins or a combination thereof (and diet changes obvs)
Short answer: it’s marketing
twentyone_cats@reddit
Get a blood test - if your labs are good you don't need multivitamins, if anything is low you don't need a multivitamin, you need high dose. Generally speaking.
If you have a relatively balanced diet you should be good.
aXiss95@reddit
If you have a healthy diet, you are probably getting most of your required vitamins from that.
EchoMaterial5506@reddit
If you don't have any particular vitamin deficiency then why would having more vitamins be beneficial?
super_sammie@reddit
You are not being fair…. They give you much more expensive urine!
L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit
For a generally healthy person, a broad-spectrum multivitamin like Centrum often produces no "felt" benefits. If your diet is already varied and you are relatively healthy, your body is likely absorbing the nutrients it needs from food. When you take a high-level multivitamin, your body often simply excretes the excess water-soluble vitamins, like B and C, in your urine.
That's it.
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