Are multivitamins actually worth taking every day?

For most healthy people eating a reasonably balanced diet, daily multivitamins provide little proven benefit. Large studies, including those from the NIH and Harvard, have found multivitamins don't meaningfully reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, or early death for the general population. Your body also absorbs nutrients better from food than from supplements. That said, certain groups genuinely benefit: pregnant women need folate, older adults often lack B12 and vitamin D, people with restrictive diets may have real gaps, and those with absorption conditions like Crohn's disease have legitimate needs. If you eat varied whole foods regularly, you're likely spending money on expensive urine. A conversation with your doctor about specific deficiencies through bloodwork is more useful than a generic daily multivitamin.