Medicine
Daily consumption of multivitamins is not associated with reductions in mortality
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Ainhoa Pérez
Alumni
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MPH, MSc.
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Multivitamins are supplements that contain a variable number of vitamins and minerals. They are often promoted to improve health and/or well-being, but scientific evidence on their consumption has always been conflicting. At the research level, factors such as the total number of vitamins and minerals present in each multivitamin, the different doses of each micronutrient, or the different vitamers and forms available complicate any analysis. Also, the fact (rarely mentioned) that many foods consumed by the population are fortified with these same vitamins and minerals makes it difficult to compare groups. In addition, people who take supplements may be healthier to begin with, or conversely, may start taking these types of products when their health is declining, confounding factors that can greatly influence the results.
A recent study (Loftfield et al., 2024) investigated the relationship between multivitamin use and the risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of nearly 400,000 healthy adults. Data were collected from three large prospective cohorts in the United States: the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study (NIH-AARP), the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial cohort, and the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort. Multivitamin use was assessed using self-administered questionnaires, categorizing participants as non-users, non-daily users, and daily users. Overall mortality, as well as death from heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, was recorded using the National Death Index.
After more than 20 years of follow-up, the results indicated that multivitamin use was not associated with a reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality. In fact, daily users of these supplements had a slightly higher risk of mortality compared to non-users. This pattern remained consistent across major causes of death, such as heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, both in the initial follow-up period and in subsequent analyses. These results were consistent across different age subgroups and other demographic and lifestyle variables. Therefore, the findings suggest that regular consumption of common multivitamins does not provide benefits in terms of reducing mortality.
In conclusion, this study indicates that regular use of multivitamins is not associated with a significant benefit in terms of longevity. The authors suggest that it is possible that people with pre-existing health problems tend to start taking these supplements in the hope of improving their health, which could lead to a spurious association between multivitamin use. The increased risk of mortality would be due to a confounding factor and rather reverse causality, not an effect derived from multivitamin use. Limitations of the study also include the possibility of other unmeasured confounding factors and limited generalizability due to the specific demographic composition of the cohorts studied. The authors recommend that future studies include more diverse populations and analyze how multivitamin use varies over time. In addition, they suggest investigating other health outcomes beyond mortality to better understand the effects of multivitamins on overall health. Controlled clinical trials administering specific nutrients in diverse populations and health conditions provide a more analytical insight into the use of vitamin and mineral supplements.
A recent study (Loftfield et al., 2024) investigated the relationship between multivitamin use and the risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of nearly 400,000 healthy adults. Data were collected from three large prospective cohorts in the United States: the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study (NIH-AARP), the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial cohort, and the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort. Multivitamin use was assessed using self-administered questionnaires, categorizing participants as non-users, non-daily users, and daily users. Overall mortality, as well as death from heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, was recorded using the National Death Index.
After more than 20 years of follow-up, the results indicated that multivitamin use was not associated with a reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality. In fact, daily users of these supplements had a slightly higher risk of mortality compared to non-users. This pattern remained consistent across major causes of death, such as heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, both in the initial follow-up period and in subsequent analyses. These results were consistent across different age subgroups and other demographic and lifestyle variables. Therefore, the findings suggest that regular consumption of common multivitamins does not provide benefits in terms of reducing mortality.
In conclusion, this study indicates that regular use of multivitamins is not associated with a significant benefit in terms of longevity. The authors suggest that it is possible that people with pre-existing health problems tend to start taking these supplements in the hope of improving their health, which could lead to a spurious association between multivitamin use. The increased risk of mortality would be due to a confounding factor and rather reverse causality, not an effect derived from multivitamin use. Limitations of the study also include the possibility of other unmeasured confounding factors and limited generalizability due to the specific demographic composition of the cohorts studied. The authors recommend that future studies include more diverse populations and analyze how multivitamin use varies over time. In addition, they suggest investigating other health outcomes beyond mortality to better understand the effects of multivitamins on overall health. Controlled clinical trials administering specific nutrients in diverse populations and health conditions provide a more analytical insight into the use of vitamin and mineral supplements.
#Multivitamins #vitamins
References:
Loftfield E et al. Multivitamin Use and Mortality Risk in 3 Prospective US Cohorts. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2418729. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18729
* The news published on studies do not represent an official position of ICNS, nor a clinical recommendation.
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