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The study analyzed nearly 400,000 study participants and found that those who took multivitamins had a 4% higher risk of death.
A US study has found that taking multivitamins regularly does not increase life expectancy and may actually increase the mortality rate among those taking the supplements.
In the United States, nearly one in three adults report using a multivitamin, with higher rates of use among older adults, women, and those with a college education.
The study used data from 390,124 generally healthy US adults over a 20-year period and found no clear benefits from taking a daily multivitamin.
“Results from a time-varying analysis incorporating the second assessment of multivitamin use were consistent with the pooled baseline estimates and support the conclusion of no mortality benefit,” the report states.
A study found that people who take a daily multivitamin had a 4% higher risk of death.
“People with illnesses and those over 65 years of age may be more likely to initiate multivitamin use,” the report said.
“This phenomenon may result in a non-causal positive association, as these individuals are at higher risk of mortality than healthier or younger individuals.”
None of the participants had a history of significant chronic illness.
Daniel Ewald, lead general practitioner at Lennox Hospital, who has a special interest in evidence-based medicine, said the findings were “not at all surprising”.
“This is consistent with many other studies that have tried to look at important outcomes of dietary supplements and have generally shown no benefit,” he said. NewsGP.
“Unless there is a clearly definable micronutrient deficiency, I would not expect any benefit from administering additional vitamins as a treatment.”
Dr. Ewald said he avoids recommending vitamin supplements unless you “want some really expensive urine.”
He said exploratory studies may be useful in informing patients, but they may have limitations.
“The study did not provide very high-quality evidence for multivitamins as an intervention,” he said.
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