Multivitamin and dietary supplements, body weight and appetite: results from a cross-sectional and a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to compare characteristics of consumers and non-consumers of vitamin and/or dietary supplements (study 1) and to assess the effect of a multivitamin and mineral supplementation during a weight-reducing programme (study 2). Body weight and composition, energy expenditure, and Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire scores were compared between consumers and non-consumers of micronutrients and/or dietary supplements in the Québec Family Study (study 1). In study 2, these variables and appetite ratings (visual analogue scales) were measured in forty-five obese non-consumers of supplements randomly assigned to a double-blind 15-week energy restriction (22930 kJ/d) combined with a placebo or with a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Compared with non-consumers, male consumers of vitamin and/or dietary supplements had a lower body weight (P, 0·01), fat mass (P,0·05), BMI (P,0·05), and a tendency for greater resting energy expenditure (P¼ 0·06). In women, the same differences were observed but not to a statistically significant extent. In addition, female supplements consumers had lower disinhibition and hunger scores (P,0·05). In study 2, body weight was significantly decreased after the weight-loss intervention (P,0·001) with no difference between treatment groups. However, fasting and postprandial appetite ratings were significantly reduced in multivitamin and mineralsupplemented women (P,0·05). Usual vitamin and/or dietary supplements consumption and multivitamin and mineral supplementation during a weight-reducing programme seems to have an appetite-related effect in women. However, lower body weight and fat were more detectable in male than in female vitamin and/or dietary supplements consumers.Obesity: Weight loss: Micronutrients: Energy expenditure: Appetite Above the fundamental roles of physical activity and a macronutrient-balanced diet in the maintenance of a healthy body weight, evidence is pointing toward other dietary factors, admittedly of a lower impact range, that could affect energy balance on a long-term basis and therefore represent an avenue worth considering under obesity treatment circumstances. Ca is a good example of this, as low consumption of this micronutrient has been shown to be inversely associated with body weight and adiposity in many studies (1 -3) . More recently, it was observed in a large cohort of 15 655 individuals that overweight or obese men and women who had a high consumption of multivitamins, vitamin B 6 , vitamin B 12 or Cr had gained less weight than those who had not consumed these supplements over 8-12 years (4) .How vitamins and minerals could be implicated in the regulation of body energy stores is not known. For instance, one could propose that they influence the control of food intake through their roles in neurotransmitter synthesis and regulation in the central nervous system. Vitamins C and B 6 are good examples of this, since they are respectively involved in the hydroxylation and decarboxylation of tryptophan for the synthesis of serotoni...

Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women

“…The findings of this study support the notion that besides calcium, obese individuals need other vitamins and minerals for balancing energy metabolism, controlling BW and for improving lipid profiles. A study by Major et al 25 assessed the effects of supplementation with multiple vitamins and minerals on BW in obese men and women during a 15-week energy restriction period. After 15 weeks, BW reduced significantly in both the intervention and the placebo groups.…”

Eating behavior traits and sleep as determinants of weight loss in overweight and obese adults

“…Details about these studies have been previously published. 5, 6, 7, 8 Briefly, all the studies included in the present article had included a standardized diet aimed at promoting a negative energy balance while subjects were either taking a placebo or a supplement of an active agent. In the present study, only data from participants enrolled in the control (placebo) group of these studies were considered for statistical analyses to avoid the influence of the active supplements on the primary outcome measures (i.e., weight, fat mass and WC losses).…”

“…Overall, 150 healthy overweight and obese men and women aged between 20 and 55 years were subjected to a diet intervention supervised by a dietician. In most of these interventions, 5, 6, 7 each individual received a personalized diet plan targeting 2085–2919 kJd −1 (500–700 kcald −1 ) decrease in energy intake. In the last study, 8 participants were assigned a control diet based on the Canada's Food Guide to promote a negative energy balance.…”

“…WC was measured with an anthropometric tape at midpoint between the lower border of the last rib and the upper border of the iliac crest. Body fat mass was either measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry 6, 7, 8 (GE Medical Systems Lunar, Diegem, Belgium) or by the underwater weighing technique 5 with the use of the Siri formula 10 to estimate the percentage of body fat from body density. All measurements were performed in the same way and in accordance with standardized procedures at both baseline and at the end of the dietary interventions.…”

Nutrients, satiety, and control of energy intake

“…Obese women on a weight loss program displayed favorable changes in their appetite sensations when receiving a multivitamin supplement compared with their placebo controls (Major et al 2008). As discussed by these investigators, the appetiterelated effects of multivitamin supplementation might be related to the role of some vitamins and minerals in the synthesis of peptides and neurotransmitters that control food intake.…”