A new study is the latest research to show that most supplements may not do much to improve health and can’t compete with the benefits of a healthy diet.

A new Tufts University study involving more than 27,000 Americans is the latest research to show that most supplements may not do much to improve health – or at least can’t compete with the benefits of a healthy diet.

The researchers found that taking supplements didn’t lower the risk of death during the study follow-up period, while those who got the recommended amount of certain nutrients from foods had a lower risk of death in that time frame.

“These results are consistent with current dietary recommendations,” says study author Fang Fang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. “The general U.S. population should aim to get adequate nutrition from healthy foods, and a healthy diet.”­­­