BMJ  2005;331:324-329 (6 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7512.324

Primary care

Effect of multivitamin and multimineral supplements on morbidity from infections in older people (MAVIS trial): pragmatic, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial

Alison Avenell, clinical research fellow1, Marion K Campbell, deputy director1, Jonathan A Cook, statistician1, Philip C Hannaford, NHS Grampian professor of primary care2, Mary M Kilonzo, research fellow3, Geraldine McNeill, research fellow4, Anne C Milne, research fellow1, Craig R Ramsay, senior statistician1, D Gwyn Seymour, professor of medicine for the elderly5, Audrey I Stephen, research assistant1, Luke D Vale, senior research fellow3, Writing Group of the MAVIS trial

1 Health Services Research Unit, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, 2 Department of General Practice and Primary Care, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill Health Centre, Aberdeen AB25 2AY, 3 Health Economics Research Unit, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, 4 Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Liberty Safe Work Research Centre, Aberdeen AB25 2ZP, 5 Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD

Correspondence to: A Avenell a.avenell{at}abdn.ac.uk

Objective To examine whether supplementation with multivitamins and multiminerals influences self reported days of infection, use of health services, and quality of life in people aged 65 or over.

Design Randomised, placebo controlled trial, with blinding of participants, outcome assessors, and investigators.

Setting Communities associated with six general practices in Grampian, Scotland.

Participants 910 men and women aged 65 or over who did not take vitamins or minerals.

Interventions Daily multivitamin and multimineral supplementation or placebo for one year.

Main outcome measures Primary outcomes were contacts with primary care for infections, self reported days of infection, and quality of life. Secondary outcomes included antibiotic prescriptions, hospital admissions, adverse events, and compliance.

Results Supplementation did not significantly affect contacts with primary care and days of infection per person (incidence rate ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.19 and 1.07, 0.90 to 1.27). Quality of life was not affected by supplementation. No statistically significant findings were found for secondary outcomes or subgroups.

Conclusion Routine multivitamin and multimineral supplementation of older people living at home does not affect self reported infection related morbidity.

Trial registration ISRCTN: 66376460.


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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Supplement Dosage Too Low
Tom Greenfield
bmj.com, 5 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Multivitains: not the whole story
Eddie Vos
bmj.com, 6 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Far too low dosage of vitamins in study
Robert Van der Hope
bmj.com, 6 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Multivitamin and multimineral supplements in older people
Michel R Odent
bmj.com, 7 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Micronutrient supplementation in the elderly
Yosef Dror, et al.
bmj.com, 11 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Micro-nutrition, infections and older people
Richard J Walden, et al.
bmj.com, 13 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Important observation for Third World physicians
Rajan TD
bmj.com, 14 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Possible benefits for high-risk individuals in the MAVIS trial
Cornelia M Ulrich
bmj.com, 17 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Supplements should contain optimum amounts of vitamins and minerals
John Dixon
bmj.com, 18 Aug 2005 [Full text]
Multiple micronutrient supplementation - benefits might relate to the significance of the disease
Klaus K Witte, et al.
bmj.com, 25 Aug 2005 [Full text]
The effects of vitamin E and vitamin C on respiratory infections may vary between different population groups
Harri Hemilä
bmj.com, 19 Sep 2005 [Full text]
Reply to correspondence about the MAVIS trial
Alison Avenell, et al.
bmj.com, 7 Oct 2005 [Full text]
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