Taking a daily multivitamin does not help people live longer and may increase the risk of death, an NIH study finds
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There is no evidence that taking daily multivitamins helps you live longer, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health.
The study — published June 26 in JAMA Network Open — analyzed nearly 400,000 generally healthy adults for more than 20 years and found that “multivitamin use to improve longevity is not supported.”
Surprisingly, instead of living longer, those who took multivitamins were actually 4% more likely to die than those who didn’t take any. Researchers, however, did not analyze data from people with pre-existing vitamin deficiencies.
“What this study shows is that, generally, multivitamins aren’t going to help you live longer,” Dr. Jade Cobern, a board-certified physician in pediatrics and general preventive medicine, told ABC News. “Even though the cost of many multivitamins isn’t high, this is still an expense that many people can be spared from.”
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Instead, Cobern told the outlet that it’s best for people to consume vitamins that come from diet rather than supplements.
“We can all likely benefit from adding more vegetables and whole grains or legumes into our diets, reducing red meat intake, decreasing our sedentary time and reducing alcohol intake,” she said.
However, it is important that people discuss their health history and use of multivitamins with a healthcare provider, as supplements may be necessary for those at risk for vitamin deficiencies.
“There is data, for example, that taking a multivitamin can reduce your cognitive decline as you get older, so your memory and so on. There’s also evidence, for example, macular degeneration, that you can head off with certain vitamins,” Dr. Céline Gounder told CBS News. “So it depends on what you’re looking at. Are you looking at mortality, risk of death? Are you looking at certain other specific disease outcomes? I think that’s where, again, for certain populations, it may make sense to be taking a vitamin.”
