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Study Finds Multivitamins Don't Extend Life Span

Multivitamin supplements have become a staple in the diets of many Americans, with approximately 1 in 3 U.S. adults taking them regularly. However, are these daily doses actually improving overall health and longevity?

A study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published on Wednesday, found that multivitamins do not help extend life span. Researchers reported, "multivitamin use to improve longevity is not supported."

The study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from nearly 400,000 adults over 20 years. The participants, with a median age of 61.5 years, were generally healthy and had no history of chronic diseases.

The study found no evidence that daily multivitamin consumption reduced the risk of death from conditions such as heart disease or cancer. In fact, otherwise healthy people who took daily multivitamins were slightly more likely (4%) to die during the study period than non-users.

Researchers reported nearly 165,000 deaths during the follow-up period of the study, out of the initial group of 390,000 participants. Notably, the study did not analyze data from people with pre-existing vitamin deficiencies.

Dr. Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH, a board-certified physician in pediatrics and general preventive medicine, told ABC News, "What this study shows is that, generally, multivitamins aren't going to help you live longer. Even though the cost of many multivitamins isn't high, this is still an expense that many people can be spared from."

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