Many Americans pop multivitamins daily, figuring they’re doing something extra for their health and longevity. But a study published in JAMA Network Open paints a far more sobering picture. In healthy adults, regular multivitamin use didn’t lead to a longer life.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health tracked nearly 400,000 healthy adults for more than 20 years. Their conclusion was crystal clear: those who took multivitamins every day didn’t have a lower risk of death compared to people who skipped them entirely.
The Study Followed Nearly 400,000 Healthy People for More Than Two Decades
Researchers drew from three massive long-term studies, totaling 390,124 participants. These folks were tracked for 24 to 27 years, and they were generally healthy at the start. None had a history of cancer or other major chronic diseases.
That extended tracking makes this research stand out. Earlier studies often followed people for much shorter times or lacked solid data on lifestyle, diet, and overall health.
“The analysis showed that people who took daily multivitamins did not have a lower risk of death from any cause than people who took no multivitamins. There were also no differences in mortality from cancer, heart disease, or cerebrovascular diseases.” the National Institutes of Health said.
Daily Multivitamin Use Didn’t Extend Life—It Was Actually Linked to the Opposite
In healthy people, daily multivitamin use wasn’t tied to living longer. Deaths from cancer, heart disease, or cerebrovascular disease showed no drop either.
The study uncovered something even more surprising: multivitamin users had a 4% higher risk of death than non-users. This held true even when researchers re-ran the analysis years later.
The team adjusted for things like race, education, diet quality, smoking, and body weight. Multivitamins still offered no benefit. Still, the researchers note that observational studies like this can’t fully tease apart the vitamins’ effects from other influences.
Why Earlier Studies Were So Inconsistent
Past research sent mixed signals. Some hinted at benefits from multivitamins, while others suggested harm. Shorter follow-up periods and overlooked factors were often to blame.
Vitamin takers tend to lead healthier lives overall—they exercise more, smoke less, and eat better. That can skew results. Meanwhile, sicker folks might start vitamins only after health issues arise. This study tackled those biases with huge datasets and decades of tracking.
This Study Has Limits, Even If It’s Strong Evidence
No study is perfect. Most participants were White, so results might not apply evenly to all groups. Researchers also couldn’t track lifetime changes in vitamin habits.
This was an observational study, not a randomized trial. Even so, it’s among the strongest evidence yet on multivitamins and longevity in healthy adults.
For healthy adults, there’s no solid reason to take multivitamins hoping for a longer life. That cash is better spent on a solid diet, exercise, and other proven health habits.
