Taking a multivitamin every day is not found to help people live long, according to a new study.
The new study analyzed data from nearly 400,000 healthy U.S. adults who had been followed for more than 20 years to examine the relationship between taking daily multivitamins and mortality. It was led by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the JAMA Network Open journal Wednesday.
The study found that adults who took daily multivitamins were not associated with a lower risk of death from any cause than those who did not. The study noted that about 1 in 3 adults report recent use of taking multivitamins.
The analysis also found no differences in mortality from conditions like cancer or heart disease between those who took and those who did not take the multivitamins. The researchers noted that they could not “preclude the possibility” that daily multivitamin use “may be associated with other health outcomes related to aging.”
The researchers’ sample included adults without a history of cancer or other chronic diseases. One of the study’s goals was to account for a healthy lifestyle because those who take multivitamins are also more likely to eat healthier diets, exercise more and not smoke as much.
“Because the study population was so large and included lengthy follow-up and extensive information on demographics and lifestyle factors, the researchers were able to mitigate the effects of possible biases that may have influenced the findings of other studies,” a media advisory from the NIH read.
“For example, people who use multivitamins may have healthier lifestyles in general, and sicker patients may be more likely to increase their use of multivitamins,” the media advisory continued.