Multivitamins Might Prolong Life

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The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, thinks there are mixed messages about the value of taking vitamins, and until there is some definitive science on the issue, taking them is a personal decision.

"Most recent studies of vitamin supplements have yielded discouraging results," Katz said. "This study clearly goes the other way, suggesting that a multivitamin may help protect our chromosomes, and thus ourselves, from aging."

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There are important limitations to the study, Katz noted. For one, vitamin use was observed, not assigned. "Perhaps healthier people less prone to the effects of aging were also the ones more likely to take vitamins," he added.

In addition, the health effects of slightly longer telomeres are not well-established, Katz said. "In looking at the details of the study, it becomes clear that telomere length did not go up consistently with vitamin exposure; the most frequent use of multivitamins was not associated with the longest telomeres."

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more on healthy aging.

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