Multivitamins are quickly becoming a staple in medicine cabinets across Kenya. Many children and adults pop these colourful pills daily, hoping to fill nutritional deficits and boost their overall health. But a new study has revealed these supplements don’t actually help their consumers live longer.

Researchers from the (US) National Cancer Institute have conducted one of the largest and longest investigations into multivitamin use and mortality to date. Their findings, published in JAMA Network Open, challenge the widespread belief that a daily multivitamin is a simple way to improve health and longevity. 

While many people take multivitamins hoping to prevent chronic diseases and live longer, researchers didn’t find evidence to support those beliefs.

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.

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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.

“We did not find evidence to support improved longevity among healthy adults who regularly take multivitamins,” the authors note in their paper. “However, we cannot preclude the possibility that daily multivitamin use may be associated with other health outcomes related to ageing.”

Instead, scientists emphasise that proven lifestyle factors like eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight are far more important for longevity. These habits provide a complex variety of nutrients and health benefits that can’t be easily replicated in pill form.

“As we learn more about nutrition and longevity, it’s becoming clear that there are no quick fixes or magic bullets,” says clinical dietician Grace Musila of Agha Khan University Hospital who was not a part of this research. “Good health comes from consistent, healthy choices over a lifetime, not from a handful of vitamins each morning.”