A multivitamin/mineral (MVM) is a supplement with several vitamins and minerals; there is no standard or legal definition of what it must contain. About one-third of US adults take one.
Also known as: multivitamin/mineral, MVM, multi, daily multivitamin.
Contents vary by product. ODS says basic once-a-day products contain most vitamins and minerals, mostly at or below the Daily Values, while "high potency" products can exceed them. The large trials below used a daily Centrum Silver tablet.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. ODS says no US government agency or health organization promotes regular multivitamin use, though people who do not eat a varied diet may get adequate nutrients from one.
What studies show: in the Physicians' Health Study II, 14,641 male US doctors aged 50 and older took a multivitamin or placebo for a median of 11.2 years. Total cancer was modestly lower (8%), with no effect on prostate or colorectal cancer or cancer deaths (Gaziano 2012), and there was no reduction in heart attacks, strokes or heart deaths (Sesso 2012). In COSMOS, 21,442 older US adults took a multivitamin or placebo for a median of 3.6 years; invasive cancer, heart disease events and deaths did not differ, while lung cancer was lower (Sesso 2022). In the COSMOS-Mind substudy of 2,262 adults (mean age 73), 3 years of a multivitamin gave a small benefit on global thinking scores, memory and executive function (Baker 2023). Per ODS, the US Preventive Services Task Force found insufficient evidence to weigh benefits and harms for preventing heart disease or cancer, and the American Heart Association advises against multivitamins for preventing heart disease.
Safety, per ODS: a basic multivitamin at about recommended amounts should be safe for healthy people, but combining it with other supplements and fortified foods can push some nutrients above their upper limits. Smokers and possibly former smokers should avoid products with large amounts of beta-carotene or vitamin A because two trials linked them to more lung cancer, too much vitamin A (retinol) in pregnancy can cause birth defects, and people on warfarin should talk to their clinician before taking a product with vitamin K.
A multivitamin is a mix of many nutrients, each with its own absorption and clearance, so no single half-life or time to peak describes it.
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