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Micronutrient concentrates (LaVita & Co.)

Vitamin · Vitalstoffkonzentrat, multivitamin concentrate, LaVita, Cellagon aurum, Regulatpro, Rotbäckchen Vital, Kyäni Sunrise, Juice Plus

Liquid micronutrient concentrates are essentially multivitamins, and multivitamins are among the best-studied products of all. The large randomized trial missed its primary endpoint, and the US preventive task force assigns grade I.

What these concentrates are

The base is fruit juice concentrate, supplemented with vegetable and herbal extracts; the actual vitamin content comes from isolated added pure substances. The decisive question is therefore not how many ingredients are on the label, but whether a multivitamin does anything for a healthy adult.

The individual claims advertised, for example on a normal immune system or reduced tiredness, are legally approved claims. They apply to every multivitamin and say nothing about a benefit compared with not taking anything.

Well studied does not mean effective

The high evidence score is based on the large studies on classic multivitamins, on which a great deal of research has been done; the negative direction comes from the fact that they mostly show no benefit. The concentrates themselves have barely been studied. They are rated here as well because their vitamin content also comes from added pure substances. The score rates the state of knowledge, not the substance.

The manufacturers’ studies contribute nothing to this: according to Cochrane Austria, the evidence on the market leader consists of one study with 159 participants in six publications, in which 20 of 48 measured laboratory values were published and 3 favored the product. For Regulatpro there is a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study from the Technical University of Munich with 36 people with type 2 diabetes; long-term blood sugar (HbA1c) did not change (Lee 2016).

What is well supported

  • Hardly any product class has been tested so thoroughly. COSMOS randomized 21,442 US adults (12,666 women aged 65 and over, 8,776 men aged 60 and over) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled 2×2 factorial design over a median of 3.6 years. Three prospective US cohorts together include 390,124 adults with up to 27 years of follow-up and 164,762 deaths. Anyone looking for an answer here gets it on a data base that most other topics on this site lack.
  • For cancer incidence, a small effect is significant. The USPSTF evidence report by O’Connor 2022 analyzed 84 studies with 739,803 people. For multivitamins, four randomized trials with 48,859 people yielded an odds ratio of 0.93 (0.87–0.99). The absolute difference is −0.2 to −1.2 percentage points.
  • For lung cancer, the COSMOS result was significant. The hazard ratio was 0.62 (0.42–0.92). This is a secondary finding and not a prespecified endpoint, but it deserves fair mention — especially since for beta-carotene alone the finding points in the opposite direction (odds ratio 1.20; 1.01–1.42).
  • The cognition finding is statistically robust. Vyas 2024 pooled three COSMOS substudies: global cognition 0.07 standard deviations (0.03–0.11; p=0.0009), episodic memory 0.06 (0.03–0.10; p=0.0007). The effect is small and does not come from the primary endpoint, but it is significant in two independent measures.

What the studies show

COSMOS: primary endpoint missed

Sesso 2022 randomized 21,442 US adults without serious cardiovascular disease or cancer in a double-blind, placebo-controlled design over a median of 3.6 years. The primary endpoint of total invasive cancer was missed: 518 versus 535 cases, hazard ratio 0.97 (0.86–1.09; p=0.57). The cardiovascular composite (0.98) and all-cause mortality (0.93) also showed no significant effect.

390,124 adults, no survival benefit

Loftfield 2024 analyzed three large US cohorts with 390,124 adults free of cancer and disease at baseline over up to 27 years, 164,762 deaths. Daily multivitamin intake compared with no intake was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.04 in both halves of follow-up, that is, without a survival benefit. Harm cannot be inferred from these association data either.

The small cognition finding

Vyas 2024 pooled three COSMOS substudies: global cognition improved by 0.07 standard deviations (0.03–0.11; p=0.0009), episodic memory by 0.06. The clinic substudy alone, with 573 participants, was not significant. Sachs 2023 found no reduction in mild cognitive impairment or dementia over three years, albeit with low statistical power.

The USPSTF evidence report

O'Connor 2022 analyzed 84 studies with 739,803 people. For multivitamins, four randomized trials with 48,859 people yielded a cancer incidence odds ratio of 0.93 (0.87–0.99), with an absolute difference of only −0.2 to −1.2 %. Beta-carotene increased lung cancer (1.20) and cardiovascular mortality (1.10).

What the large studies do not show

  • Protection against cancer or cardiovascular disease. The largest randomized trial, with 21,442 participants, missed its primary cancer endpoint and also found no effect on the cardiovascular composite and all-cause mortality.
  • A longer life. In three cohorts with a combined 390,124 adults and up to 27 years of follow-up, daily intake showed no survival benefit.
  • A relevant effect on cognitive performance. The benefit amounts to 0.07 standard deviations, comes from a secondary endpoint, was not significant in the clinic substudy, and the incidence of dementia and MCI was not reduced over three years.
  • Superiority of the concentrates over other multivitamins. The concentrates themselves have barely been studied: for LaVita there is one study with 159 participants, of whose 48 measured laboratory values 20 were published; for Regulatpro, one small randomized study without effect.

Status, approval and legal

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published its assessment on 2022-06-21: for multivitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer it assigns grade I; the evidence is insufficient for a recommendation in either direction. For beta-carotene and vitamin E it assigns grade D, that is, a recommendation against.

In the EU, the individual claims advertised are approved health claims. They are based on the function of a nutrient in the body and not on proof of benefit for the respective product.

Safety

Individual nutrients in high doses are demonstrably harmful: beta-carotene increased the lung cancer rate in smokers by 18 % (ATBC), vitamin E the risk of prostate cancer by 17 % (SELECT). The USPSTF evidence report shows a lung cancer odds ratio of 1.20 and cardiovascular mortality of 1.10 for beta-carotene.

Specific to the products, the vitamin K content is relevant: the BfR sees a measurable effect on blood clotting from 150 µg of K1 or 45 µg of K2 daily, which is why consultation with a physician is advisable with Marcumar or warfarin. With two servings a day, over a dozen nutrients in some products exceed the reference intake.

BK-Score Well studied – effect not confirmed

Human evidence9
Mechanism6
Safety data8
Hype gap8
Track record of use9

The high evidence score is based on studies of classic multivitamins – the concentrates also supply their vitamin content from added pure substances, but as products they have barely been studied. For multivitamins: 21 randomized trials with 91,074 people yielded all-cause mortality of RR 0.98, the Physicians' Health Study II found no cardiovascular effect over eleven years, and COSMOS with 21,442 participants found no effect on cancer, cardiovascular disease or mortality. The only robust plus point is a small cognitive benefit in three COSMOS substudies (0.07 standard deviations) — a secondary endpoint, and the Physicians' Health Study found exactly zero there. The manufacturers’ studies contribute nothing: the LaVita evidence is one study with 159 participants in six publications, in which 20 of 48 measured laboratory values were published and 3 favored the product (Cochrane Austria); a randomized crossover study from the Technical University of Munich on a Regulatpro product found no effect on HbA1c in 31 evaluable people with type 2 diabetes (Lee 2016, PMID 27343205). High track record of use, because multivitamins have been widely taken for decades — that is not proof of efficacy.

The score rates the state of knowledge, not the substance. “Safety data 9” means well studied – not harmless. “Track record of use 9” means used long and widely – that is not proof of efficacy.
Subjective assessment by Biohacking Kompakt based on published scoring rules – not a scientific rating and not a medical recommendation. Rules and all ratings (German)

Frequently asked questions about micronutrient concentrates (LaVita & Co.)

Do micronutrient concentrates like LaVita do anything?

A benefit for healthy adults cannot be demonstrated in large randomized trials. Since the vitamin content comes from isolated added pure substances, the decisive question is about the multivitamin, and that has been studied very well. The largest trial, with 21,442 participants, missed its primary endpoint. The concentrates themselves, by contrast, have barely been studied.

What did the COSMOS trial show?

COSMOS randomized 21,442 US adults over a median of 3.6 years. The primary endpoint of total invasive cancer was missed, with 518 versus 535 cases and a hazard ratio of 0.97. There was also no significant effect of multivitamin intake on cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. The trial was double-blind and placebo-controlled.

Do multivitamins improve memory?

The measured benefit is very small. A meta-analysis of three COSMOS substudies found 0.07 standard deviations for global cognitive performance, a secondary endpoint. In the clinic substudy alone it was not significant, and the incidence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia was not reduced over three years.

How does the USPSTF rate multivitamins?

On June 21, 2022, the US Preventive Services Task Force assigned grade I to multivitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Grade I means that the evidence is insufficient for a recommendation. For beta-carotene and vitamin E, it explicitly issued a recommendation against with grade D.

Do people who take multivitamins live longer?

It does not look that way. Three large US cohorts with a combined 390,124 initially healthy adults and up to 27 years of follow-up found no survival benefit with daily intake. No harm can be inferred from these observational data, but no benefit either.

What risks do such concentrates have?

High-dose single nutrients are the documented problem: beta-carotene increased the lung cancer rate in smokers, vitamin E the risk of prostate cancer. Specific to the products, the vitamin K content is relevant because it can affect blood clotting. Anyone taking Marcumar or warfarin should therefore consult a physician beforehand. With two servings a day, several nutrients in some products exceed the reference intake.

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Sources

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Information only, not medical advice and not a usage or dosage recommendation. Prescription-only and unapproved substances belong in the hands of a physician. Last updated: 2026-10-04.