The efficiency of multivitamin supplements in promoting health and preventing chronic diseases varies based on different studies and specific contexts:

1. General Prevention of Chronic Diseases: The evidence does not strongly support the use of multivitamins for preventing chronic conditions such as cancer or cardiovascular diseases. A systematic review concluded that there is insufficient evidence to determine the presence or absence of benefits from multivitamin use in preventing these diseases¹.

2. Nutritional Gaps: Multivitamins can reduce the inadequacies in micronutrient intake in the adult population, especially in those who may have deficiencies². For example, they can help maintain blood concentrations of certain vitamins in older men³.

3. Specific Populations:

   • Pregnant Women: Multivitamins can reduce the risk of specific fetal defects and support fetal development, mainly due to components like folic acid⁴.
   • Low Nutrient Intake Individuals: In individuals with poor or suboptimal nutritional status, multivitamins might help reduce the risk of illnesses like cancer⁵.

4. Quality of Life: Some trials indicate that multivitamins might have positive effects on various quality-of-life measures, such as mental clarity, energy, and overall well-being⁶.

5. Longevity: There is no significant evidence suggesting that multivitamins significantly impact lifespan, either positively or negatively⁷.

In summary, while multivitamins can help fill nutritional gaps and may benefit certain populations, their overall effectiveness in preventing chronic diseases and improving long-term health outcomes is still not conclusively supported by extensive research.

Footnotes

1. Han-Yao Huang, "The efficacy and safety of multivitamin and mineral supplement use to prevent cancer and chronic disease in adults: a systematic review," NCBI Bookshelf, 2009. ↩

2. Jeffrey B. Blumberg, "The Evolving Role of Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement Use among Adults in the Age of Personalized Nutrition," NCBI, 2022. ↩

3. Alexander J. Michels, "Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplementation Prevents or Reverses Decline in Vitamin Biomarkers and Cellular Energy Metabolism in Healthy Older Men," NCBI, 2023. ↩

4. Examine.com, "Do You Need a Multivitamin?" 2023. ↩

5. Examine.com, "Do You Need a Multivitamin?" 2023. ↩

6. Xuesheng Han, "Evaluation of the Health Benefits of a Multivitamin, Multimineral, Herbal, Essential Oil-Infused Supplement: A Pilot Trial," PubMed, 2018. ↩

7. Farin Kamangar, "Vitamin and Mineral Supplements: Do We Really Need Them?" NCBI, 2020. ↩