(NewsNation) — About a third of U.S. adults take a daily multivitamin to maintain overall health, but a new study suggests that for healthy adults, multivitamins may not extend life expectancy.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 400,000 healthy U.S. adults followed for more than 20 years and found no association between regular multivitamin use and a lower risk of death. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Dr. Tom Pitts, a board-certified neurologist, appeared on NewsNation’s “Morning in America” to discuss the research, which suggests taking a daily vitamin supplement doesn’t extend your life and may actually make you worse off.
“If you have a gallon of water and you fill it with seven gallons, will it add up? No. It’ll add a gallon and make a mess, right? It’ll overflow,” Pitt said, adding that people who eat a normal diet don’t need vitamin supplements.
“If you can’t cook, you can’t be healthy. You can’t be as healthy as you want to be,” Pitts says. “Supplements are emblematic of the American habit of relying on medicines instead of making lifestyle changes.”
Vitamin E may be linked to all-cause mortality, Pitts said, and too much vitamin B6 in pre-workout drinks can cause irreversible and painful neuropathy. The only exception is vitamin D, which is harder to get from food.
“If you live in a developed country and don’t have digestive issues, get your vitamins through food. Supplements can shorten your life,” Pitts said.
“If you’re a postmenopausal woman and you’re calcium deficient, that’s a different story. Then you need treatment.”
