Study suggests multivitamins’ effectiveness more myth than reality

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Millions of Americans regularly take multivitamins, accepting as fact that the dietary supplement can help them stay healthy and live longer.

Consumers reliably scoop them up at the drugstore or supermarket. One estimate pegs the value of the multivitamin market at more than $21 billion.

A new study, however, questions their usefulness.

National Cancer Institute researchers recently conducted one of the largest and longest studies of multivitamin effectiveness. The scientists tracked the health of nearly 400,000 healthy Americans for two decades, comparing a control group that didn’t take multivitamins with a group that did.

The study’s findings might be unsettling for anyone with a big bottle of these doctor’s helpers in the medicine cabinet.

Those who took the supplements daily experienced no lower risk of death from any case. Indeed, they appeared to have a slightly greater risk of mortality. It was just a tiny increase, but startling, nonetheless.

The researchers also saw no difference when controlling for a participant’s sex, dietary quality, and health behavior.

Some experts believe vitamins feed off human psychology. The lure of a pill that effortlessly boosts health is powerfully attractive. Got a bad diet? Take a pill. Even before this study, however, some nutritionists were doubtful this supposed elixir could substitute for the complex mix of natural nutrients found in fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods. There are few shortcuts to good health.

Scientists say they cannot preclude the possibility of a benefit for adults.

So, eat your vegetables. They’re nature’s multivitamin.