Do multivitamins work, and are they good for you?

According to WebMD, multivitamins do not work in extending life span, preventing or treating heart disease or stopping memory loss. In high doses, research shows that multivitamins can actually be harmful.

In a research study of 6,000 males, results showed no difference between patients who took a Centrum Silver multivitamin and patients who took a placebo pill. The study spanned 12 years. The largest study of multivitamins consisted of 45,000 participants and yielded similar results for the effectiveness of multivitamins. Science has not completely dismissed the effectiveness of multivitamins, and they have been linked to a moderate reduction in the risk of cancer or cataracts.