Researchers from the National Institute of Health followed 400,000 healthy U.S. adults for two decades found people who use multivitamins have a 4% higher mortality risk
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the United States of America, after following 400,000 healthy U.S. adults for 20 years have come to the conclusion that multivitamin pills do not lower mortality risk. They have reported their findings in JAMA Network Open.
In fact, the study found that people who use multivitamins have a 4% higher mortality risk compared to people who do not use it.
The NIH in its press release about the study wrote: “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. 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 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 results were adjusted for factors such as race and ethnicity, education, and diet quality.”
The researchers estimated that in the US about one in three people use multivitamin pills. Similar data about India is not available but there has, in recent times, been an increase in the use of multivitamin pills in India, particularly in urban centres. According to some estimates, the Indian dietary supplement market (which also includes vitamins) is pegged at Rs 157.4 billion.
