Megavitamin therapy involves administering heavily overdosed vitamins to cure diseases. Megavitamin therapy is considered part of alternative orthomolecular medicine and has been shown to be ineffective.
What is megavitamin therapy?
Megavitamin therapy is a therapeutic procedure from the field of orthomolecular medicine. Megavitamin therapy attempts to cure diseases by administering very high doses of vitamins. The dose of vitamins administered may well be a thousand times the daily dose recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The basic assumption of orthomolecular medicine is that a biochemical imbalance in the body is the cause of disease, and that this imbalance can be corrected by the administration of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. At the same time, orthomolecular medicine assumes that a sufficient supply of vitamins and minerals cannot be achieved with today’s usual diet, which is why a large part of the population suffers from deficiencies. The substitution of these vitamins and minerals is therefore necessary according to orthomolecular medicine. Furthermore, trace elements, essential fatty acids, amino acids and other so-called “vital substances” are also administered within the framework of this alternative medical therapy direction. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of orthomolecular medicine in general and for the effectiveness of megavitamin therapy in particular does not exist.
Function, effect, and goals
To understand the concept of megavitamin therapy, it is first necessary to understand the general ideas of orthomolecular medicine. Starting from the basic assumption that, due to the storage, custody, transportation and processing of the foods commonly consumed today, an adequate supply of vitamins and other “vital substances” cannot be achieved even through a balanced diet, orthomolecular medicine concludes that the majority of the population is deficient in these substances. Furthermore, orthomolecular medicine assumes that a biochemical imbalance leads to diseases and that this biochemical imbalance can be remedied by substituting the allegedly missing vitamins and vital substances. In megavitamin therapy as a special therapy method of orthomolecular medicine, vitamins are administered in considerably increased dosages. The doses administered are often 100 to 1000 times the physiological requirement. Originally, both the term orthomolecular medicine and the term megavitamin therapy originate from the so-called “orthomolecular psychiatry”. Orthomolecular psychiatry aims to cure mental suffering and maintain mental health by “creating optimal molecular conditions for mental health.” This is to be done primarily through “optimal concentrations of substances normally found in the body,” for example, vitamins. The emergence of orthomolecular psychiatry can be traced to the cure of schizophrenia occurring in pellagra by administration of niacin (vitamin B3). Pellagra is a disease caused by the deficiency of nicotinic acid. In addition to schizophrenia, diarrhea (diarrhea), inflammatory diseases of the skin (dermatitis) and other mental symptoms, such as dementia in the context of an organic psychosyndrome occur. In this deficiency disease, substitution of the missing vitamin is necessary and leads to cure. However, it was deduced from this that the administration of vitamins could possibly cure other forms of schizophrenia. Within the framework of this assumption, megavitamin therapy was developed. Initially, high doses of nicain were used in patients suffering from schizophrenia. However, the attempts were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the idea was further developed, from which orthomolecular psychiatry emerged. Orthomolecular medicine and megavitamin therapy resulted from this fact. In the further course, megavitamin therapy was also used for other mental illnesses and later also for physical illnesses, without, however, having a demonstrable effect. Today, megavitamin therapy is no longer used in the context of scientific psychiatry. The same applies to the other therapies of orthomolecular psychiatry.Today, megavitamin therapy is said in appropriate circles to have efficacy against every conceivable disease, from depression to autism to cancer. The original concept of megavitamin therapy, to administer vitamins in extremely high doses, has been extended to other “vital substances”, which today are also administered in “megadoses” far in excess of requirements. From a scientific point of view, it should be pointed out that megavitamin therapy has no proven effect against diseases. The administration of vitamins can correct deficiencies and associated diseases, but doses far in excess of requirements should not be administered. Nevertheless, megavitamin therapy is still practiced and touted today as an alternative medical procedure.
Risks, side effects and dangers
Megavitamin therapy cannot be considered “harmless” because, in addition to being ineffective, harmful effects of megavitamin therapy on health have been documented in scientific studies. The vitamins are deliberately overdosed during megavitamin therapy. Especially the fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin D, have a potentially harmful effect when overdosed, which is practiced in megavitamin therapy, as they accumulate in the tissues. Water-soluble vitamins that are not needed, on the other hand, are excreted. There are conflicting research findings on the harmfulness of water-soluble vitamin F. For example, one metastudy demonstrated increased mortality after vitamin F overdose; however, this is contradicted by other scientists. The well-known vitamin C can cause diarrhea and colic in high doses. In addition, if renal insufficiency is present, an overdose of vitamin C can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Severe overdose of vitamin B6 can lead to neurotoxic and photosensitizing effects in rare cases. Overall, it has been proven that megavitamin therapy, i.e. the administration of heavily overdosed vitamins and “vital substances”, can shorten life expectancy and lead to health problems. Furthermore, the concept of orhtomolecular medicine and thus also megavitamin therapy is not based on scientific facts. An effect is not given, side effects are nevertheless possible and partly dangerous.
