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Dietary supplements, particularly iron, calcium, and several vitamins, are used by at least half of adults, despite little evidence of benefit and some suggestion of harm. In this study, researchers assessed the use of 15 supplements in 38,772 women (mean age at baseline, 62; nearly all white) in Iowa in 1986, 1997, and 2004. Food intake, health, and lifestyle factors were assessed in 1986, when 63% of the women took at least one supplement, and in 2004, when that figure rose to 85%.
During a mean follow-up of 19 years, 15,594 women (40%) died. The most commonly used supplements were calcium, multivitamins, and vitamins C and E. In adjusted analyses, use of multivitamins, folic acid, iron, or magnesium was associated with a 6% to 15% increas…