It indicates that women who regularly take such pills may actually have a slightly higher risk of morbidity than those who do not.
The study is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Minnesota.
They probed the use of vitamin and mineral supplements and the death rate of nearly 39,000 American women who took part in the Iowa Women’s Health Study. When the project began 25 years ago, their average age was just under 62. More than two-thirds reported taking supplements.
The study followed their intake of supplements and lifespans until the end of 2008. By then some 40 percent of the subjects had died. The only dietary supplement that seemed to have a role in longevity was calcium.
The Archives of Internal Medicine is a bi-monthly medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
