Does everyone need to take multivitamins? Here's what a doctor says

You probably know at least one person who swears by taking a daily multivitamin — or you take one yourself.

About a third of U.S. adults reported taking a multivitamin-mineral supplement in the past month at the time they were asked, according to data from 2017 through March 2020 collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly a quarter of U.S. teens and children, ages 19 and under, took a multivitamin within that same time period.

While there’s typically no harm in adding the supplement to your diet, if you’re a generally healthy adult, it also wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t take a multivitamin, says Dr. Elizabeth Ko, an internist and medical director of the UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative.

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“The concern I see is that people see a multivitamin as a ‘cheat pill’ which then gives them permission to be less strict with their nutrition patterns. It’s not a crutch,” Ko tells CNBC Make It.

Multivitamins can be taken in several different forms including gummies, capsules and even liquids, which are growing in popularity. The search term “liquid multivitamins reviews” has 6 million views on TikTok.