- Many people take a daily multivitamin to promote health and prevent chronic disease.
- A new study from the National Institutes of Health suggests that taking a daily multivitamin may not improve lifespan in generally healthy adults.
- Although multivitamins may not help increase longevity in healthy adults, experts say they are nonetheless beneficial for certain populations.
New research analyzing data from more than two decades and nearly 400,000 participants in the United States suggests that long-term daily multivitamin use may not improve longevity in healthy adults.
About 33% of adults in the United States take a daily multivitamin to support their overall well-being, assuming it can help prevent disease and contribute to a longer, healthier life.
Despite their widespread use, previous studies have not found enough evidence to determine whether multivitamins actually improve longevity.
In an effort to fill this research gap, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
They considered influential factors such as healthy diet and lifestyle and reverse causality, where people in poor health started using multivitamins.
The new NIH study, published in
However, multivitamins may still benefit specific individuals, and this observational study has some limitations, so don’t throw away your multivitamins just yet.
The new NIH study aimed to evaluate the association between multivitamin use and deaths related to chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease and cancer. She also sought to explore potential factors and biases that could affect the understanding of this association.
The researchers conducted an analysis using data from three large cohort studies in the United States:
Their pooled analysis included a combined total of 390,124 generally healthy adult participants, aged 18 to 74 years at baseline, with no history of major chronic illnesses.
Participants self-reported their frequency of multivitamin use, from never to daily, as well as their use of other vitamins, minerals, and supplements.
Based on these data, the researchers classified the participants into three groups:
- no use of multivitamins
- non-daily use of multivitamins
- daily use of multivitamins
The researchers also took into account participants’ self-reported dietary history,
Participants were followed for more than two decades, some for up to 27 years.
During the study period, 164,762 participant deaths were recorded, of which approximately 30% were due to cancer, 21% to heart disease and 6% to cerebrovascular disease.
Among daily multivitamin users, nearly half were women, compared with about 40% of non-users.
Compared with non-users, daily multivitamin users were also more likely to use other individual supplements and tended to have lower BMIs and better diet quality.
These findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that multivitamins are somewhat more popular among women and that people who take them regularly may be generally more health-conscious.
Multivitamin use did not differ significantly by race, ethnicity, or family history of cancer.
Overall, researchers found no evidence that regular multivitamin use improved longevity in healthy adults.
In fact, in the pooled analysis, people who used multivitamin supplements daily had a 4% higher risk of death than those who did not.
However, the hazard ratio values suggest no difference in survival between the two groups. This was observed for overall mortality and for specific causes such as heart disease, cancer and cerebrovascular disease.
Despite the lack of evidence regarding longevity, the study authors suggest that daily multivitamin use may still be associated with other important outcomes related to healthy aging, such as supporting cognitive function in older adults.
The research also has some notable limitations. These include the fact that it is an observational study, so it cannot establish cause and effect, and there may be factors, such as health care use, that could affect the results and were not taken into account.
The study authors also noted that they could not define a time frame for the link between multivitamin use and mortality risk, how the risk changes over time, or the total impact on a person’s life.
Additionally, the study had exclusions based on health status and lacked diversity, so the results cannot be generalized to the entire population.
Healthy adults with adequate dietary nutritional intake may not benefit from multivitamin use, but daily multivitamins may still be beneficial for individuals in specific populations and age groups.
Today’s Medical News spoke with Alexandra Filingeri, a registered dietitian and doctor of clinical nutrition who was not involved in the study, to find out who should consider taking a daily multivitamin, even if it may not be linked to longevity.
“Although multivitamins cannot be used in disease prevention, they can be used in populations that do not meet the recommended daily intake of micronutrients,” Filingeri said.
“For example, people with gastrointestinal disorders such as celiac disease or irritable bowel disease may benefit from daily multivitamin supplementation,” she noted.
MNT She also spoke with Kiran Campbell, a registered dietitian specializing in heart health at Kiran Campbell Nutrition and a medical nutrition consultant at Dietitian Insights. Campbell was not involved in the study.
“Even if taking a daily multivitamin does not necessarily prolong life, it can nevertheless have advantages,” such as preventing nutritional deficiencies, particularly in vulnerable populations, she said.
“Multivitamins may be beneficial for people over the age of 50,” by helping prevent nutritional deficiencies related to changes associated with the normal aging process, Campbell said. “Additionally, taking a multivitamin may help protect against age-related cognitive decline and memory loss.”
Campbell noted, based on the
“We can see that most adults are not eating enough fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, as well as whole grains. These foods are very nutrient-dense and provide the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain normal bodily functions and promote healthy aging. While a multivitamin may not be the easiest way to get these nutrients, it may be the most convenient way for some people.
Filingeri added that “populations susceptible to micronutrient deficiencies may benefit from daily supplementation.”
“Your doctor and dietitian can help you make an informed decision about appropriate supplementation,” she advised.
Campbell stressed that no multivitamin is a substitute for an overall healthy diet.
To maintain health and promote longevity, rather than relying on supplements, she recommends focusing on eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods, including:
For inspiration, she said, “look at diets like the Mediterranean diet or the Blue Zone diet, which are primarily whole-food, plant-based diets. These diets focus on whole foods as well as cultural, behavioral, and social factors as the answer to good health throughout life.”
“The best way to get your daily dose of nutrients will always be through a whole-foods diet. Indeed, a diet consisting primarily of whole foods contains fiber, polyphenols and other active components that can prevent the development of chronic diseases and maintain good health. »
— Kiran Campbell, registered dietitian nutritionist
However, Campbell stressed that in situations where access to fresh produce or high-quality whole foods is limited, the use of multivitamins can help individuals achieve adequate nutrient levels. She said multivitamins have interesting applications and that “socioeconomic factors must also be considered when assessing the feasibility of maintaining public health on a national scale.”
Ultimately, “(supplements) need to be individualized based on each person’s specific needs,” Filingeri concluded.