Reacción a "Daily multivitamin intake has no longevity benefit"

Multivitamins are used by one in three Americans to maintain (or improve) health and prevent chronic diseases. However, this consumption is not in line with the recommendations of US health authorities because there is no conclusive evidence of their potential benefits.  

Loftfield et al. conducted a study that is notable for the large number of people studied (some 390,000 people) and the long follow-up time (more than 20 years). The researchers' hypothesis was that the use of a multivitamin complex could reduce the risk of mortality. The result, however, shows that people who take daily multivitamins have a higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who do not take multivitamins. This is an increase in risk of only 4% and is not maintained in the second follow-up period of the analysis, which may not be significant at the individual level, but is of great public health importance. At the population level, the risks that have the greatest impact are low risks but affect a large percentage of the population. 

The study of multivitamins is complex because they are used by people who are very concerned about their health and by elderly people with chronic diseases. This new study has taken into account most of the factors that could confound the results found. It may not have been possible to adjust for all of these factors and it would be interesting to know what effect the use of multivitamins has over a lifetime.  

Nevertheless, the results are sufficiently robust to recommend that the population should not consume multivitamins unless there is a specific nutritional deficiency and under the supervision of a health professional. There is ample scientific evidence that the best way to extend life is to follow a healthy lifestyle, including physical activity, a healthy diet, avoiding stress and getting adequate rest. This takes more effort than taking a pill, but in the end it will thank both your body and your wallet.