Multivitamins, mortality, and longevity: Growing data for the ongoing debate
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You might build up too much iron or niacin from a daily [MV]... If you want to be healthy, the healthiest form of a nutrient is in food vs a processed pill made in a factory.
—Cheng-Han Chen, MD, interventional cardiologist, medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA
A 2024 cohort study tracking nearly 400,000 generally healthy adults over 20 years found that daily multivitamin (MV) intake isn’t associated with a longer life.[] However, one in three adults in the US take MV without clear evidence the daily supplement boosts longevity.
Despite decades of widespread use and strong consumer belief in their health benefits, MVs have long occupied an uneasy space between routine self-care and unproven intervention. Here’s what the latest evidence suggests—and why it matters in the clinic.
More harm than good?
An older, major study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found “no clear decrease or increase in mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer and in morbidity from overall or major cancers among multivitamin supplement users.”[]
A more recent meta-analysis published in Ageing Research Reviews in January 2026 noted similar findings: “Multivitamin and mineral (MVM) supplements are among the most widely used dietary supplements globally, however, their role in promoting healthspan and longevity remains unclear,” the authors wrote.[]
They continued: “No benefits were found for all-cause mortality, COVID-19 outcomes, visual acuity, or multiple cognitive domains, and a higher risk of age-related macular degeneration progression was reported.”[]
Intriguingly, the researchers noted that MV use "improved global cognition, episodic memory, and immediate recall in older or cognitively intact adults, reduced psychological symptoms in healthy individuals, and lowered systolic blood pressure in at-risk populations."[] They also noted a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, but not breast or prostate cancer.
Overall, the findings revealed a lack of consistency in the definition of MVM supplementation, and substantial variability in MVM effectiveness.
—Authors, Ageing Research Reviews
On the other hand, an investigative report published in Clinical Interventions in Aging in 2024 found that specific vitamins could potentially cause harm: “Much of the enthusiasm for the use of vitamin or mineral supplements to prevent disease or increase longevity results from the belief that supplementation is harmless. However, serious adverse events have been reported.”[]
To find some clarity, the researchers pulled data from three prospective cohort studies in the US. Participants took part in one of the following: the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study, the Lung; the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial; or the Agricultural Health Study.[] The goal was to estimate the association of MV use with mortality risk, while also accounting for any confounding variables.
About the research: Quick facts
The studies included in the Clinical Interventions in Aging investigation each included baseline and follow-up MV use. They also used data from up to 27 years of follow-up, along with data from any potential confounding variables.
The use of MV was self-reported.
All of the participants were generally healthy US adults with no history of cancer or chronic disease; 40.9% of participants said they were never smokers (11% of daily MV users, vs 13% of nonusers, were current smokers)
The researchers found a correlation between gender, education, and MV use: “Among daily MV users, 49.3% and 42.0% were female and college-educated, compared with 39.3% and 37.9% among nonusers, respectively.”
Of the 390,124 participants (median age 61.5, 55.4% male), there were 164,762 deaths during the follow-up period, with almost 50,000 deaths due to cancer, just over 35,000 deaths due to heart diseases, and almost 93,000 deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases.
The findings? “MV use was not associated with lower all-cause mortality risk in the first…or second…halves of follow-up.” More surprisingly, the researchers also found that daily “MV use vs nonuse was associated with 4% higher mortality risk.”
Mortality impacts
These findings are not surprising, says Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and Medical Director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. “There has never been a clear benefit,” Dr. Chen says, “and this current and large analysis again shows no mortality benefit.”
The findings don’t mean that patients should assume MV explicitly causes harm, he says. It’s not entirely clear why there's a 4% increase in mortality risk, but to gain validity these numbers would have to be reproduced in other studies, he adds. “Daily multivitamins aren't going to kill you…but [physicians] do not routinely recommend daily MV use simply because many decades of data haven't found [any] benefit. The only thing the MV affects is the wallet.”
Advice for the clinic
Dr. Chen recommends that physicians tell their patients to focus on a healthy, balanced diet with lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and less saturated fat, salt, sugar, and processed food. “If you want to be healthy, the healthiest form of a nutrient is in the food vs a processed pill made in a factory,” he says.
He also says that patients should be aware that too much of a good thing can be harmful. For example, Dr. Chen says, “You might build up too much iron or niacin from a daily [MV].” He notes that some supplements touted as miracles haven’t been proven to work. In other words, good marketing can play a big role in why patients are scooping these products off the shelves.
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