Not worth it for health and strength.
The label shows how strong the evidence is, not how big the effect is. Tap a claim to see its papers.
In plain words
For a well-fed lifter, expect no change in strength or endurance: active men on a high-potency multi for 90 days showed no change in VO2max (48.5 to 46.2 ml/kg/min) or treadmill time (19.96 to 19.99 min), and strength was unaffected.[5]
Little or no effect: no change in all-cause, vascular or cancer mortality across 21 trials, and an 8% lower total-cancer risk (HR 0.92) in one 11-year trial of older male doctors.[1][2][3][4]
The USPSTF finds the evidence insufficient to judge benefits and harms of multivitamins for heart disease or cancer prevention; a mortality meta-analysis was null and one large trial showed a modest cancer reduction. Mixed, mostly older-adult evidence is Grade C.
Each plate is one paper. Taller = stronger study design, wider = more studies pooled. Tap one.
Multivitamin-multimineral supplements for at least a year had no effect on all-cause, vascular or cancer mortality.
USPSTF: evidence is insufficient to assess multivitamins for preventing heart disease or cancer; it recommends against beta-carotene and vitamin E supplements for that purpose.
Across 19 meta-analyses, trials linked multivitamins to better cognition in older adults and lower blood pressure in at-risk groups, but no benefit for mortality and faster macular degeneration progression.
In male physicians aged 50+, a daily multivitamin for a median 11.2 years modestly reduced total cancer but not prostate, colorectal or other site-specific cancers or cancer death.
No benefit: 90 days of a high-potency multivitamin-mineral did not change VO2max, endurance, strength or muscular endurance in well-nourished active men.[5][6][7]
A placebo-controlled RCT was null on every measure, and a systematic review of 128 mineral-supplement studies found little evidence of performance gains outside specific deficiencies. The IOC advises targeted supplementation after assessment rather than 'insurance' use. Grade D.
Each plate is one paper. Taller = stronger study design, wider = more studies pooled. Tap one.
Across 130 experiments, there was little evidence that mineral or trace-element supplements improve athletic performance, with possible exceptions for iron (in specific situations) and magnesium.
IOC: rather than ad hoc 'insurance' supplementation, athletes should have a nutritional assessment; iron, calcium and vitamin D are nutrients that often need supplementing. Multivitamins have rarely been contaminated with prohibited substances.
In well-nourished active men, 90 days of a high-potency multivitamin-mineral did not change aerobic capacity, endurance performance, strength or muscular endurance versus placebo.
A multivitamin-multimineral combines many vitamins and minerals, usually near recommended daily amounts, in one pill. About 31% of US adults report using one. A varied diet that meets energy needs normally supplies these nutrients; definitions of 'multivitamin' vary widely between products and studies.
Vitamins and minerals act as cofactors for energy production, red-blood-cell formation, bone and immune function. A real deficiency, such as iron deficiency anaemia, can impair performance or training. If intake is already adequate, adding more does not speed these processes up. High-dose antioxidants can even blunt the cell signals that drive training adaptation.[7][8][9]
Reviewed 03 Oct 2026 · every PubMed ID checked against PubMed
One standard once-daily multivitamin (as tested in the Physicians' Health Study II); trials did not use megadoses.
Products and definitions vary widely; no form is shown to beat another.[4]
Multivitamins help you live longer.
21 trials found no effect on all-cause mortality.[2]
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