Multivitamins: Study shows popping these pills has no long-term benefit

The study followed over 390,000 generally healthy adults for more than 20 years. Participants came from diverse backgrounds and regions across the globe. By comparing multivitamin users to non-users over this extended period, the fellows aimed to uncover any potential long-term benefits or risks.

What they found was surprising: regular multivitamin use was not associated with a lower risk of death from any cause. Daily users had a slightly higher mortality risk in some analyses, though the difference was small.

This lack of benefit is held across various subgroups, including men and women, different age ranges, and people with varying diet quality and health behaviours. The researchers also looked at specific causes of death, like heart disease and cancer, but still found no advantage for multivitamin users.

These findings may come as a shock to the millions of people who faithfully take their daily multivitamins. The supplement industry has long promoted these products as an “insurance policy” for good health. However, nutrition experts have increasingly questioned whether synthetic vitamins in a pill can replicate the complex mix of nutrients found in whole foods.

Researchers blame clever marketing as why people increasingly believe in the power of multivitamins. There’s also a psychological appeal to the idea of a simple pill that can optimise human health. Unfortunately, human biology is not that straightforward.

However, the researchers noted that certain groups, like pregnant women or older adults with limited diets, may benefit from specific vitamin supplementation as recommended by their doctor. However, for the average healthy adult, this study suggests that a daily multivitamin is unlikely to be the key to a longer life.