MULTIVITAMINS MIGHT NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE AS YOU THINK

A 2024 new study that analyzed data from over two decades and nearly 400,000 participants in the U.S. suggests that long-term daily multivitamin use may not improve longevity in healthy adults.

Despite the widespread use of multivitamins, there has been a lack of research into their effectiveness. To account for this research gap, researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute analyzed long-term daily multivitamin use and mortality risk in healthy U.S. adults. About 33% of healthy adults in the United States take a daily multivitamin to support their overall well-being.

During the study period, there were 164,762 recorded deaths of participants. Approximately 30% were due to cancer, 21% due to heart diseases, and 6% due to cerebrovascular diseases. Overall, there was no evidence found that regular multivitamin use improved longevity among healthy adults. The hazard ratio values suggested no difference in survival between the two groups which was observed for overall mortality and specific causes like heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease.

Despite what the evidence said for longevity, the authors of the study suggest that daily use may still be associated with other aspects of aging healthily such as cognitive function in older adults. They also point to some limitations of the study, as it was purely observational and could not establish cause-and-effect. This means that factors like healthcare utilization could not be taken into account and might have affected the results.

There is still limited evidence that a daily cocktail of essential vitamins and minerals actually delivers what you expect. Most studies find no benefit from multivitamins, in particular, in protecting the brain or heart, but there are potential benefits and no risks from a one daily standard multivitamin.

Half of all American adults, including 70% of those age 65 and older take a multivitamin or another vitamin or mineral supplement regularly. The total price tag exceeds $12 billion per year as data from 2023 – money that Johns Hopkins University nutrition experts say might be better spent on nutrient-packed foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.