Video Blog: Does Multivitamin Use Increase Mortality Risk?

Could taking a daily multivitamin actually increase mortality risk (i.e. risk of death)? According to data from NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), one in two US adults (52%) regularly used dietary supplements and one in three adults (31%) used multivitamin-mineral supplements between 2011–2012. With many more people potentially using multivitamins today, research interest into the benefits of these supplements has grown, with some even posing the question whether multivitamins could actually be harmful.

In this short video blog, Dr. Fitzgerald and Research Associate Tish Campbell, PhD, take a deep dive into the problematic research methodology of a recent 2024 study published in JAMA, titled Multivitamin Use and Mortality Risk in 3 Prospective US Cohorts, which caused a stir on popular media and news outlets. The study, which examined 320,124 ‘generally healthy’ adults, found that daily multivitamin use was not associated with a mortality benefit. But is the data reliable? Should we stop taking multis?

Find the study full text here.

Watch the video and discover:

Why it’s crucial to scrutinize the methods section of a research paper before accepting its conclusions. In this case, the claim that multivitamin use leads to a 4% increase in mortality is misleading.
What the findings of another recent study tells us about multivitamin use and cognitive health.
How Dr. Fitzgerald views the use of multivitamins in clinical practice.

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Tish Campbell, PhD, CNS, is a functional nutritionist, health educator, and researcher. Based in Hawaii, Tish conducts virtual consultations through her functional nutrition clinical practice, with a focus on women’s health, longevity, and health optimization. For more information, visit her website at www.tishcampbell.com.

Author: Kara Fitzgerald, ND

https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/

Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book titled Younger You as well as a companion cookbook, Better Broths and Healing Tonics and has an application-based Younger You Program, based on the study. Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Nutrition Residency program, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Additional publications

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I enjoyed the presentation and really appreciated the food first approach. There were many talking points to help solidify this concept with patients, particularly those that don’t “buy in” to the food first approach or simply want to take a supplement.

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I’ve had the opportunity to review Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s blogs. She is a well-recognized leader of functional, integrative medicine. Her blogs effervesce with her enthusiasm for her subject matter and convey her genuine warmth and compassion for her patients. She writes in an engaging style while conveying significant and meaningful information about the varied topics she has covered. They are simply fun to read and easy to learn from her wealth of experience.

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I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog and recommend it to the medical students. It is interesting, informative and up to date as well as an excellent supplement to their text.

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Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s writing style is clear, concise, well-translated from scientific gobbledygook to understandable every language. And most importantly, it’s accurate.

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Of the myriad blogs I receive in my inbox, Kara’s is one that I actually read! It’s funny, clinically relevant and smart.

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Video Blog: Does Multivitamin Use Increase Mortality Risk?

Author: Kara Fitzgerald, ND

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