Daily Multivitamin Use Linked to Slower Biological Aging in Older Adults
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A randomized clinical trial found that daily multivitamin use slowed biological aging in healthy older adults by approximately four months over two years. The effect was strongest in participants whose biological age was ahead of their chronological age at the start of the study. The findings were published in Nature Medicine.
Facts First
- Daily multivitamin use slowed biological aging across five different epigenetic clock measurements.
- The strongest effects were observed in participants whose biological age was ahead of their chronological age.
- The study involved 958 healthy participants with an average chronological age of 70.
- Two of the five epigenetic clocks used are strongly associated with mortality risk.
- The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with infrastructure support from Mars Edge.
What Happened
Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from the COcoa Supplement Multivitamins Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a long-running clinical trial. They examined DNA methylation data from blood samples collected from 958 healthy participants with an average chronological age of 70. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: daily cocoa extract and multivitamin; daily cocoa extract and placebo; placebo and multivitamin; or placebo only. Compared to the placebo group, participants taking a multivitamin showed slower biological aging across all five epigenetic clock measurements. The study found that multivitamin use was linked to a reduction in biological aging of approximately four months over a two-year period.
Why this Matters to You
If you are an older adult, this research suggests a daily multivitamin may modestly slow your biological aging process, particularly if your biological age is ahead of your chronological age. This could potentially be associated with a lower mortality risk, as two of the clocks used in the study are strongly linked to that outcome. The effect observed was over a two-year period, so longer-term benefits remain to be studied.
What's Next
The findings, published in Nature Medicine, contribute to the ongoing COSMOS trial investigation. Further research may clarify if the slowing of biological aging translates into longer-term health benefits or reduced incidence of age-related diseases.