The news about vitamins keeps getting worse. Many studies published in the last few years shows that a variety of popular supplements don"t do anything to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, stroke or a variety of cancers. But what about multivitamins These combination pills, which【C1】______10 to 30 vitamins and【C2】______, are the most popular supplements sold in America. A report published recently suggests they shouldn"t be. The study【C3】______161,808 participants in the Women"s Health Initiative, a long-term effort to【C4】______risk factors for cancer, heart disease and bone health in elderly women.【C5】______in the nationwide study included white, black, Asian and Native American women. They were followed for an average of nearly eight years.【C6】______, 41.5% of study participants took some version of a multivitamin. Those women were more likely to be white and college-educated, live in the West, exercise and have a lower body mass index. However, women who took multivitamins weren"t any more likely to【C7】______a diagnosis of breast, lung, stomach, and other cancers than were women who didn"t take multivitamins. Nor were multivitamins in general helpful in【C8】______heart attacks, strokes or reducing the risk of death from any【C9】______during the study period. The research team did find one【C10】______benefit: The 3,741 women who took stress multivitamins—formulations【C11】______higher doses of several B vitamins along with an extra amount of vitamin C—were 25% less likely to have a heart attack. No other correlations between vitamins and health outcomes were statistically【C12】______. The study provides【C13】______evidence that multivitamin use has little or no【C14】______on the risk of common cancers, heart disease or total mortality in elderly women.【C15】______, researchers wondered, "Why do millions of Americans use a daily multivitamin for【C16】______disease prevention when the supporting scientific data are weak" Some physicians continue to【C17】______them for patients whose diets may have nutritional【C18】______. And since they don"t require a prescription, many people simply【C19】______they are safe. But those assumptions may not be【C20】______, especially if people wind up overdosing on vitamins and minerals, the researchers wrote.【C11】