Multivitamins Might Not Help You Live Longer, Study Finds

Don't expect to live longer because of them.

Multivitamin supplements have long been used by many Americans as a convenient way to ensure they get all the vitamins they need in a given day. While they might be functional in that regard, a new study outlines just why that might not end up having an effect on how long you live. 

The research, conducted by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published June 26 in the JAMA Network Open journal, describes how the team reached their conclusions and what they could mean if you're expecting your multivitamin to help you live longer. They analyzed data from three different cohort studies in the U.S. among people without a history of cancer or other chronic disease who took multivitamins and were followed for up to 27 years. 

Nearly 400,000 health results were examined to determine if take a daily multivitamin had an apparent effect on longevity. In the end, they found "Daily multivitamin use was not associated with a mortality benefit," adding, "These findings suggest that multivitamin use to improve longevity is not supported." In fact, they found that "Daily [multivitamin] use versus nonuse was associated with four-percent higher mortality risk."

That doesn't mean you should throw out all your multivitamins, however, especially as they noted that correlation doesn't equal causation. One study published earlier this year found that daily multivitamin supplements can improve memory and slow cognitive aging in older adults. 

As always, consult your physician before incorporating any new supplements into your daily routine.