By Lisa Marie Basile | Fact-checked by Davi Sherman
Industry Buzz
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
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.”[2]
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.[3]
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.”[3]
Overall, the findings revealed a lack of consistency in the definition of MVM supplementation, and substantial variability in MVM effectiveness.—Authors, Ageing Research Reviews
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.”[3] They also noted a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, but not breast or prostate cancer.
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Source: MD Linx