Why Multivitamins May Increase a Woman's Risk of Death

Multivitamins are usually recommended for older women to improve their health, but a 2011 study suggests that they may actually be detrimental, according to ABC affiliate WTAE.

The study, which evaluated more than 38,000 women age 55 or older, revealed that women who took a multivitamin had a slightly higher death risk when compared to women who did not take them. In fact, women who took supplements containing vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, iron or copper had a higher death risk when compared to their supplement-free participants.

Oddly enough, the only supplement that reduced their death risk was calcium, a key micronutrient for older women.

While this isn't suggesting that multivitamins are more likely to kill women, it does suggest that multivitamins may not be the best tool for improving your health. Women may believe that taking a multivitamin may protect them from a multitude of health conditions, such as diabetes or osteoporosis. Oftentimes, this isn't the case.

Why Women Shouldn't Depend on Multivitamins
While multivitamins certainly have their place in the health industry, this study--and countless others--may indicate that women are depending too much on multivitamins to improve their health. Some health problems, such as anemia, legitimately require the use of a supplement, but many women use supplements even when they do not have a pre-existing health condition.

Experts continue to emphasize that women should get their nutrients from a healthy diet, not a supplement. Obesity is on the rise in the United States, which is often correlated with poor nutritional habits--and as a consequence, women may think supplementation may solve their nutritional problems, when in fact it could create more problems.

While a multivitamin may help reduce the level of deficiencies in a diet, it should not be used as a replacement for a healthy diet.

Of course, eating healthy is easier said than done--the size of the United States' diet industry already attests to how many Americans currently struggle with good, nutritional eating habits. Still, it is important for women to make the effort to eat foods rich in micronutrients instead of turning to a supplement for help. It's easier to turn to a supplement than to change your entire lifestyle, however, which may be why multivitamin use has risen over the past decade.

If you are a woman currently worried about your health, here's a good tip: put your nutritional habits over a health supplement. The key word here is supplement; it won't replace healthy nutritional habits. Only supplement if you have been medically advised to do so.