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Vitamins Boost Women's Risk of Dying

High concentration of nutrients may turn toxic: researchers

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 10, 2011 2:50 PM CDT

(Newser) – Popping too many vitamins may actually shorten your life, a new study says. Researchers looked at the supplement intake of 38,000 women, starting in their early 60s, over 19 years—and found vitamin-users had a 2.4% higher chance of dying. Multivitamins, B6, iron, zinc, copper, folic acid, and iron were linked to the slight increase in mortalities, reports My Health News Daily.

What's behind the numbers? Possibly vitamins' high concentration of nutrients, which "can be toxic in higher amounts, especially when consumed for a long time, as some of these accumulate to body," the study author says. One ray of sunlight for vitamin-lovers: Calcium supplements seemed to lower women's death risk by 3.8%. The study supports earlier findings that vitamin intake might actually kill you.

The high concentration of nutrients in vitamins may actually shorten your life. (Shutterstock)

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Vitamins Boost Women's Risk of Dying

High concentration of nutrients may turn toxic: researchers

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