(NewsNation) — Nearly a third of U.S. adults take a daily multivitamin to support their overall well-being, but new research suggests these supplements do not necessarily increase life expectancy in healthy adults.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 400,000 healthy U.S. adults followed for more than 20 years and found no link between regular multivitamin use and a lower risk of death in a study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open.
Board-certified neurologist Dr. Tom Pitts discusses the research on NewsNation’s “Morning in America,” saying that taking a daily vitamin pill not only doesn’t increase life expectancy, it may actually make health worse.
“If you have one gallon of water and you fill it up with seven gallons, do you get more? No. You get one and it makes a mess, right? You let it overflow,” Pitts said, adding that if you eat a normal diet, you don’t need vitamin supplements.
“If you can’t cook, you can’t live a healthy lifestyle. You just can’t, not to the extent that you’d like,” Pitts said. “A dietary supplement represents our habit in America of taking pills instead of changing our lifestyle.”
According to Pitts, vitamin E can cause death, and vitamin B6, found in excess in pre-workout drinks, can cause irreversible, painful neuropathy. The only exception he makes is vitamin D, which is harder to find in foods.
“If you live in a developed country and don’t have digestive problems, you get vitamins from food. These supplements can shorten your life expectancy,” Pitts noted.
“If you have a deficiency and you are a postmenopausal woman and you have a calcium deficiency, that’s different. Then it needs to be treated medically.”
