A large, decades-long study of over 390,000 U.S. adults challenges a widespread assumption about daily multivitamins.
Multivitamins are a daily habit for millions of Americans, often taken with the expectation that they will extend life or prevent disease. But one of the largest and longest-running studies to examine this belief suggests otherwise.
Researchers analyzed data from 390,124 generally healthy U.S. adults who were followed for more than 20 years and found no evidence that taking a daily multivitamin lowers the risk of death. The study, led by scientists at the National Cancer Institute and published in JAMA Network Open, also found no meaningful differences in deaths from cancer, heart disease, or stroke.
Something Unexpected
During the early years of follow-up, people who reported daily multivitamin use had a slightly higher risk of death, about 4 percent higher than nonusers. Researchers say this small increase may reflect underlying differences between groups rather than a direct harmful effect.
Participants were drawn from three major U.S. cohorts and tracked for up to 27 years, allowing researchers to account for factors that often complicate nutrition studies. Multivitamin users, for example, were more likely to have healthier diets, exercise more, and smoke less. Others may have started taking supplements after health concerns emerged.
That does not mean supplements have no role. Certain groups clearly benefit from targeted use. Folic acid during pregnancy helps prevent serious birth defects. People who have undergone bariatric surgery may need supplements to replace lost nutrients, and specific combinations of vitamins can slow the progression of age-related eye disease.
Potential Risks
At the same time, supplements are not risk-free. High doses of certain nutrients can cause harm, and interactions with medications are a real concern. For example, vitamin K can interfere with blood thinners, while excess iron has been linked to conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Large clinical trials have also shown that beta carotene supplements can increase lung cancer risk in smokers, even though the same nutrient from food is associated with benefits.
The findings suggest health outcomes depend on more than isolated nutrients. Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains consistently show links to longer life. Populations known for exceptional longevity, often referred to as Blue Zones, rely on these foods as dietary staples rather than supplements.
The new findings do not close the door on all supplement use, but they do challenge a common assumption: for generally healthy adults, taking a daily multivitamin appears unlikely to extend lifespan.
References:
“Multivitamin Use and Mortality Risk in 3 Prospective US Cohorts” by Erikka Loftfield, Caitlin P. O’Connell, Christian C. Abnet, Barry I. Graubard, Linda M. Liao, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Neal D. Freedman and Rashmi Sinha, 26 June 2024, JAMA Network Open.
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18729
“The Limited Value of Multivitamin Supplements” by Neal D. Barnard, Hana Kahleova and Roxanne Becker, 26 June 2024, JAMA Network Open.
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18965
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5 Comments
This is huge.
“The study, led by scientists at the National Cancer Institute”, both totally controlled by Pharma so there are no conflicts of interest involved.. .. The author even tossed a few old false tropes that were not the result of the same long term study. Now, don’t be taking K2 , (esp with Vitamin D) because that might interfere with sales of profitable drugs that lead to sales of other highly profitable drugs… And be sure to eat lots of vegetables, especially vegetable oils, aka highly processed seed oils like rapeseed, and NOT natural animal fats, eggs, red meat, or raw milk so you’ll be obese, weak, and buying Rx drugs your entire life, until near the end, when oncologists, educated by the National Cancer Institute, which, much like the National Diabetes Foundation and Heart Association, has not and will never cure anything, despite hundreds of billions in research, but will instead drain your bank account, then cut burn and poison you right into the grave. Now, above all things, remember, ‘Trust the Science’ folks.
I’m with you on this. I’ve lived long on this earth 🌎 and I have zero prescription. There are supplements we can rely on whole life to maintain the body.
The ongoing debate will never end. My question is: Who funded the study, Was it by by those Rockefeller based medicine mindest bros. Typical of big pharma to push out the idea that adding supplements to your daily life is a waste of time. IMHO, they believe preventive medicine is wrong and reactive medicine is the only way…
This is not new, but just further adds to longstanding evidence that vitamin supplements offer no benefit to average healthy people. If you are deficient, change your diet or add a supplement. Otherwise, it is pointless.
Because of several persuasive disease correlations with low vit D, many of us are advised to take D supplements. But multivitamins typically include D. It bears repeating, correlation is not causation.
But also, life prolongation is not our only goal. It may be worth investigating other endpoints.