They don’t call them “vita”-mins for nothing. The prefix to this word means “life” in Latin—and indeed, a large study has found that higher intake of vitamin E and A, as well other key nutrients including magnesium, was linked to a lower risk of disease-related or all-cause mortality during follow-up.

A study that utilized data from the 1999-2010 National Health and Nutrition Education Survey (NHANES) found an association between having an adequate intake of vitamin E, iron, magnesium, potassium, EPA and DHA, essential amino acids and fiber and a lower risk of dying during a median follow-up period of 9.3 years. The findings were published in the October 2021 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.¹

“These study findings can be used as comprehensive information about the associations between nutrient adequacy of critical nutrients in the diet of US adults and mortality risk based on the national survey data,” authors Kyungho Ha and colleagues of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut wrote.

The study included 20,602 men and women enrolled in NHANES 1999-2010. During a median 9.3-year period, 3,539 participants died.  The participants who survived were more likely to have reported a higher intake of specific nutrients.  

Notably, compared to participants whose magnesium intake was among the lowest one-third, those whose intake was among the top third had a 22% lower adjusted risk of dying from any cause, a 35% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 29% lower risk of cancer death during follow-up.

Magnesium wasn’t the only nutrient linked to a lower risk of mortality during follow-up; the top consumers of vitamin E, iron, potassium and fiber had 19%, 15%, 18% and 16% lower respective risks of premature all-cause mortality.

For essential amino acids, the risk of mortality from all causes was 15% lower and for the omega-3 fatty acids EPA plus DHA, the risk was 13% lower when participants whose intake was among the top 25% were compared to the lowest 25%.

Cardiovascular disease mortality was 25% lower and cancer-specific mortality was 24% less among those in the top third of vitamin A intake compared to the lowest group. The greatest consumers of calcium had a 28% lower risk of dying from cancer.

“These findings suggest that higher intakes of nutrients, including vitamins A and E, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber relative to the RDA/AI, and improving macronutrient quality are associated with a reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality in US adults,” the authors concluded.