Its just one study, sure.
But if youre like us, youre probably wondering at this point:Should I take a multivitamin?
Given this assumption, the results of the study were somewhat surprising to him.
There is no magic bullet for health and no one should expect immortality from a daily multivitamin.
Heres what you should consider if youre wondering whether you should still take a multivitamin.
Question 1: Are you taking a multivitamin for longevity?
medical director and CEO ofHealth Meets Wellnessin New York City
Multivitamins have been shown to have benefits incognitive function4andcataract reduction5in older adults, for example.
Pflugradt also points out that they can help with nutrient deficiencies, which can affect things like yourenergy level.
If the needs for these nutrients are not being met, a multivitamin is a good choice.
But for general good health and long life?
Yeah, not so much.
Question 2: Are you taking a multivitamin every day, or situationally?
Whats more,supplements can have side effects.
In fact, shes treated patients who are suffering from gettingtoo muchof a nutrient.
There are reasons [to take one].
medical director and CEO ofHealth Meets Wellnessin New York City
But taking a multi continuously for a 20-year period?
I would say no.
Taking a multivitamin should be done with careful consideration.
Question 3: Do you know what youre trying to supplement?
Its very rare that someone needs every single thing thats in a multivitamin, says Dr. Sharp.
Im a big proponent of supplementation thats specific to a patient or specific things.
Common supplements she recommends often depend on needs like increased vitamin B12 for vegetarians.
Meanwhile, why take vitamins if you dont know you actually need them?
Dr. Mazur recommends doing plasma and blood tests to see if you have any deficiencies in the first place.
Its better practice to do that kind of thing first before turning to a multivitamin.
Of course, tests like these can run several hundred dollars and often arent covered by health insurance.
Because in the end?
You cant supplement your way out of a poor diet or unhealthy lifestyle factors, Pflugradt says.
Multivitamins only give a small portion of nutrients that may be missing from someones diet, Pflugradt says.
Question 4: Are you confident in the quality of your multivitamin?
Most supplements are not proven to be what they claim, Dr. Rocco says.
The FDA requires a statement on every vitamin saying that the FDA did not review this brand or bottle.
Quite simply: We dont know whats really in them.
Dr. Rocco prefers to prescribenutraceuticals, which get third-party tested for safety and accuracy.
But even with this problem in the supplements industry as a whole, multivitamins are specifically susceptible to inaccuracy.
A multivitamin is a very complicated supplement, Dr. Cooperman says.
Youre trying to get in the right amounts of so many different ingredients.
So its not so easy to make a product that always hits the mark.
reviewed by Jennifer Gilbert, MD, MPH
Loftfield EOConnell CPAbnet CC, et al.
Multivitamin Use and Mortality Risk in 3 Prospective US Cohorts.JAMA Netw Open.2024;7(6):e2418729.
doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18965
US Preventive Services Task Force et al.
327,23 (2022): 2326-2333. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.8970
Baker, Laura D et al.
19,4 (2023): 1308-1319. doi:10.1002/alz.12767
Christen, William G et al.
Effects of multivitamin supplement on cataract and age-related macular degeneration in a randomized trial of male physicians.Ophthalmologyvol.
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