A new study suggests that daily multivitamin supplements may not improve longevity in generally healthy adults.
- Many people take a daily multivitamin in an
effort to promote health and prevent chronic diseases.
- A new study from the National Institutes of
Health suggests that daily multivitamin use may not improve the life span
of generally healthy adults.
- While multivitamins might not enhance longevity
in healthy adults, experts say they still benefit specific populations.
New research analyzing data from over two decades and
nearly 400,000 participants in the United States suggests that long-term daily
multivitamin use may not improve longevity in healthy adults.
About 33% of adults in the U.S. take a daily multivitamin to support their
overall well-being, assuming that it may help prevent disease and contribute to
a longer, healthier life.
Despite widespread use, previous studies have not
found sufficient evidence to determine whether multivitamins actually benefit
longevity.
Aiming to address this research gap, researchers at
the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH)
They accounted for influential factors such as healthy
diet and lifestyle and reverse causation, where individuals in poor health
started using multivitamins.
The new
NIH study, published in
However, multivitamins may still benefit specific
individuals, and this observational study has some limitations, so don’t throw
away your multivitamins just yet.
Exploring the impact of
daily multivitamins on mortality risk
The new NIH study aimed
to assess the association between multivitamin use and death related to chronic
diseases, specifically cardiovascular disease and cancer. It also sought to
explore potential factors and biases that could affect the understanding of this
association.
The researchers conducted an analysis using data from
three large cohort studies in the US:
National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Studyy (NIH-AARP) PLCO Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) - Agricultural
Health Study (AHS)
Their pooled analysis included a combined total of
390,124 generally healthy adult participants aged 18 to 74 at baseline with no
history of major chronic diseases.
Participants self-reported their frequency of
multivitamin use, from never to daily, and their use of other vitamins,
minerals, and supplements.
Based on this data, the researchers categorized
participants into three groups:
- no
multivitamin use
- non-daily
multivitamin use
- daily
multivitamin use
The researchers also considered participants’
self-reported diet history,
Participants were followed for over two decades, with
some followed for up to 27 years.
Daily multivitamins may
not promote longevity
During the study period,
there were 164,762 recorded participant deaths, with approximately 30% due to
cancer, 21% due to heart diseases, and 6% due to cerebrovascular diseases.
Among daily multivitamin users, nearly half were
female, compared to about 40% of nonusers.
Compared to nonusers, daily multivitamin users were
also more likely to use other individual supplements and tended to have a lower
BMI and better diet quality.
These findings align with previous research suggesting
that multivitamins are somewhat more popular among women and that individuals
who regularly take them might be a generally more health-conscious crowd.
Multivitamin use did not significantly differ by race,
ethnicity, or family history of cancer.
Overall,
the researchers found no evidence that regular multivitamin use improved
longevity among healthy adults.
In fact, in the pooled analysis, people who used
multivitamin supplements daily had a 4% higher risk of death compared to those
who didn’t use them.
However, the hazard ratio values suggested no
difference in survival between the two groups. This was observed for overall
mortality and specific causes like heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular
disease.
Despite the lack of evidence for longevity, the study
authors suggest that daily multivitamin use may still be associated with other
important outcomes related to healthy aging, such as supporting cognitive function in older adults.
The research also has some notable limitations. These
include the fact that it is an observational study, so it cannot establish
cause-and-effect, and there may be factors, like health care utilization, that
could affect the results and were not taken into account.
The study
authors also noted that they could not define a timeline for the connection
between using multivitamins and mortality risk, how the risk changes over time,
or the total impact over a person’s lifetime.
Additionally, the study had exclusions based on health
status and lacked diversity, so the findings cannot be generalized to the
broader population.
Who might benefit from
daily multivitamins?
Healthy adults with
adequate dietary nutrient intake might not benefit from multivitamin use, but
daily multivitamins might still be beneficial for individuals of specific
populations and age groups.
Medical News Today spoke with Alexandra Filingeri, a registered dietitian and
doctor of clinical nutrition who was not involved with the study, about who
should consider taking a daily multivitamin, even if it might not be linked to
longevity.
“While
multivitamins may not be used in disease prevention, they can be used in
populations that do not meet the daily RDA (recommended daily allowance) for micronutrients,” Filingeri said.
“For example, those with gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac
disease, irritable bowel
disease may benefit from daily multivitamin supplementation,”
she noted.
MNT also
spoke with Kiran Campbell, a
registered dietitian who specializes in heart health at Kiran Campbell
Nutrition and is a medical nutrition advisor at Dietitian Insights. Campbell
was not involved in the study.
“Even if taking a daily multivitamin may not prolong
life, they may still have benefits,” such as preventing nutrient deficiencies, especially in
vulnerable populations, she affirmed.
“A multivitamin can benefit the aging adult
population, over 50 years of age,” helping to prevent nutrient deficiencies
related to changes associated with the normal aging process, Campbell said. “In
addition, multivitamin use may help protect against age-related cognitive
decline and memory loss.”
Campbell noted, based on the
“We can see that most
adults fall short on our intake of fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains. These foods are very
nutrient-dense and provide the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain normal
bodily functions and promote healthy aging. While a multivitamin may not be the
most readily-utilized way to get these nutrients, it may be the most convenient
way for some individuals.”
Filingeri
added that “[populations] with susceptibility to micronutrient deficiency may
benefit from daily supplementation.”
“Your medical doctor and registered dietitian can help
you make an educated decision on proper supplementation,” she advised.
Healthy eating patterns
promote healthy aging
Campbell highlighted
that no multivitamin is a substitute for an overall healthy diet.
To maintain health and
promote longevity, rather than relying on supplements, she recommends focusing
on consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including:
- nuts
- seeds
- legumes
- dark leafy greens
- carrots
- berries
- other
colorful plant-based foods
For inspiration, she said, look to “dietary patterns
like the Mediterranean diet or the Blue Zone diet, which are primarily whole-foods
plant-based diets. These dietary patterns focus on whole foods along with
cultural, behavioral, and social factors as the answer to lifelong health.”
“The optimal way to receive
your dose of daily nutrients will always be through a whole foods diet. This is
because a diet consisting of mostly whole foods will contain fiber,
polyphenols, and other active components that can prevent the development of
chronic disease and maintain adequate health.”— Kiran Campbell, registered
dietitian nutritionist
However, Campbell
pointed out that in situations where access to fresh produce or high-quality
whole foods is limited, multivitamin use may help individuals reach adequate
nutrient levels. She said that multivitamins have some valuable applications
and “socioeconomic factors also need to be considered when assessing the
feasibility of maintaining public health nationwide.”
Ultimately, “[supplements] must be individualized to
each person’s specific needs,” Filingeri concluded.
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