People who take dietary supplements are not as healthy as people who don't according to a soon to be published study in the journal Psychological Science of the Association for Psychological Science.

This was the result of two experiments tailored to determine if eating behavior was influenced by a person's intake of dietary supplements. The experiment involved two groups and monitored the eating habits (experiment 1) and the lifetstyles (experiment 2) of the members after one group was told to take a multivitamin and the other group was assigned to take a placebo. Members of both groups were told what they were taking but in reality, both groups were given placebos.

The results? The group that believed they were taking a multivitamin engaged in less healthy forms of eating and engaged in a generally unhealthy lifestyle. They preferred a buffet over an organic meal, were less prone to exercise but were more receptive to hedonistic activity. The group who took multivitamins acquired a kind of superman syndrome that made them feel invulnerable to unhealthy activities.

Wen-Bin Chiou of National Sun Yat-Sen University, Chao-Chin Yang of National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism and Chin-Sheng Wan of Southern Taiwan University conducted the study. "People who rely on dietary supplement use for health protection may pay a hidden price, the curse of licensed self-indulgence. After taking dietary supplements in the morning, individuals should diligently monitor whether illusory invulnerability is activated by restored health credentials and subsequently licenses health-risk behaviors," Chiou said.