Daily Multivitamins Do Not Help You Live Longer, According to New Study

There is no evidence that taking daily multivitamins helps you live longer, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health.

The study — published June 26 in JAMA Network Open — analyzed nearly 400,000 generally healthy adults for more than 20 years and found that "multivitamin use to improve longevity is not supported."

Surprisingly, instead of living longer, those who took multivitamins were actually 4% more likely to die than those who didn’t take any. Researchers, however, did not analyze data from people with pre-existing vitamin deficiencies.

"What this study shows is that, generally, multivitamins aren't going to help you live longer," Dr. Jade A Cobern, board-certified physician in pediatrics and general preventive medicine, told ABC News. "Even though the cost of many multivitamins isn't high, this is still an expense that many people can be spared from."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Instead, Cobert told the outlet that it’s best for people to consume vitamins that come from diet rather than supplements. 

"We can all likely benefit from adding more vegetables and whole grains or legumes into our diets, reducing red meat intake, decreasing our sedentary time and reducing alcohol intake," she said.

However, it is important that people discuss health history and use of multivitamins with a healthcare provider as supplements may be necessary for those at risk for vitamin deficiencies.

"There is data, for example, that taking a multivitamin can reduce your cognitive decline as you get older, so your memory and so on. There's also evidence, for example, macular degeneration, that you can head off with certain vitamins," Dr. Céline Gounder told CBS News. "So it depends on what you're looking at. Are you looking at mortality, risk of death? Are you looking at certain other specific disease outcomes? I think that's where, again, for certain populations, it may make sense to be taking a vitamin."