A large-scale study involving over 390,000 generally healthy U.S. adults found no evidence that daily multivitamin use reduces the risk of mortality from any cause, including cardiovascular diseases or cancer, even after adjusting for factors like lifestyle, demographics, health conditions, race, ethnicity, education, and diet quality over a 20-year period.
While about one-third of U.S. adults take daily multivitamins assuming potential benefits for disease prevention and longevity, previous studies have shown conflicting results, and the benefits and harms remain unclear. This large study suggests daily multivitamin use may not extend longevity or provide mortality benefits for generally healthy individuals without chronic diseases or nutritional deficiencies.
The study found that those who did not take multivitamins had the lowest risk of death during the study period, and mortality rates were higher for daily multivitamin users, especially among younger individuals. There were no significant differences in mortality risks between groups over a longer time horizon.
The research suggests multivitamins can be an unnecessary expense for those without a diagnosed deficiency. Vitamin supplements that the body doesn't need can cause health problems, ranging from mild to severe, including death in cases of severe overdose.
Getting vitamins from food is generally recommended over taking multivitamin pills, which have downsides, like impeding antibiotic absorption in some cases.
Experts recommend using vitamin pills to fill in gaps alongside a healthy diet, such as with vitamin D or B12 supplements, and recommend focusing on nutrient-dense foods and following diets like the Mediterranean or Blue Zone diet for lifelong health.
Sources: CBS News, Business Insider, Fox News, Medical Dialogues, Science Daily, Benzinga, Liverpool Echo, List23, SciTechDaily, Tech Explorist, The Times-Tribune, CTV News, Boston Herald, Medical News Today, Technology Networks, National Post, The Weekly Journal
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
