Regular Multivitamin Use Is Not Associated With a Mortality Benefit

Does regular dietary supplementation with multivitamins reduce the risk of premature mortality?

In a 2022 update, the US Preventive Services Task Force reported that the evidence was insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms for the use of multivitamin supplements (I statement). This study provides evidence showing a lack of mortality benefit from regular multivitamin use. (Level of Evidence = 1b)

To evaluate the potential benefit of regular multivitamin use, the investigators combined data from three large US prospective cohort studies. Study participants (N = 390,124) were categorized as nonusers, nondaily users, or daily users of multivitamins. Multiple analyses were performed to control for potential confounders, including sex, age, race and ethnicity, education level, smoking status, body mass index, physical activity level, alcohol intake, coffee intake, and family history of cancer. After an extended follow-up of up to 27 years, multivitamin use was not associated with lower cardiovascular, cancer, cerebrovascular, or all-cause mortality.

Study design: Cohort (prospective)

Funding source: Government

Setting: Population-based

Reference: Loftfield E, O’Connell CP, Abnet CC, et al. Multivitamin use and mortality risk in 3 prospective US cohorts. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2418729.