A new study has found that taking a daily multivitamin does not increase life expectancy and may actually increase the risk of premature death. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study analyzed nearly 400,000 healthy adults over 20 years and found that “the use of multivitamins to extend lifespan is not supported.” Shockingly, far from living longer, people who took multivitamins were 4% more likely to die than those who didn’t take them at all, the researchers say.
For the study, Dr. Erica Loftfield of the National Cancer Institute in Maryland and colleagues analyzed data from three major US health studies. The studies all began in the 1990s and collected details about participants’ daily multivitamin intake. The records covered 390,124 healthy adults who were followed for more than 20 years.
The researchers found no evidence that taking a daily multivitamin reduced the risk of death. In fact, in the first few years of follow-up, those who took multivitamins reported a 4% higher risk of death. The increased risk of death could reflect harm caused by multivitamins, or it could reflect an increasing number of people who start taking daily multivitamins when they develop a serious illness, the researchers said.
Dr. Neal Barnard, adjunct professor of medicine at George Washington University and co-author of a commentary published in conjunction with the study, explained that vitamins can be helpful in certain cases. Historically, sailors were saved from scurvy by vitamin C, but beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc appear to slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to severe vision loss, he said. Vitamins may also be beneficial without reducing the risk of premature death.
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But “multivitamins over-promise and under-deliver,” says Dr. Bernard. “The bottom line is they don’t work. There’s no scientific evidence to support that.” Instead, he says, people should eat healthy foods that provide a wide range of micronutrients, macronutrients and fiber, while limiting saturated fat and cholesterol.
“What this study shows is that multivitamins, in general, don’t help you live longer,” said Dr. Jade A. Coburn, a board-certified pediatrician and general preventive medicine physician. ABC News“While most multivitamins aren’t expensive, it’s still an expense that many people can save on,” she added.
Instead, Dr Covert told media that it’s best to get vitamins from food rather than supplements: “We could all benefit from including more vegetables, whole grains and legumes in our diet, reducing red meat intake, reducing sedentary time and reducing alcohol intake,” she said.
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