Daily Multivitamins May Slightly Slow Biological Aging, New Study Finds
A daily multivitamin supplement may have an unexpected impact on the aging process by modestly slowing down biological aging. According to a clinical study published in Nature Medicine, daily intake of multivitamins and multiminerals influenced specific DNA markers associated with the rate of aging.
The research, funded by the confectioner Mars, involved 958 healthy adults with an average age of approximately 70. Over a two-year period, participants were administered either a daily multivitamin and multimineral supplement, a cocoa extract, or a placebo. The study aimed to determine if these interventions could affect “epigenetic clocks”—molecular indicators used by scientists to estimate biological age.
Unlike chronological age, which is simply the number of years a person has lived, biological age reflects the actual state of an individual’s organism. This is often measured through changes in DNA methylation patterns, which accumulate over time and affect how genes function. The theory suggests that by slowing the pace of biological aging, it may be possible to attenuate or prevent age-related diseases, potentially allowing people to maintain better health for more years.
The results showed that participants taking multivitamins experienced a modest slowing of two out of the five epigenetic clocks analyzed. Specifically, the rate of aging was reduced by approximately 2.6 months for the PCPhenoAge marker and 1.4 months for the PCGrimAge marker. The effect was more pronounced in individuals who were biologically aging faster than the average at the start of the study; in this specific group, the PCGrimAge marker slowed by nearly 2.8 months.
However, the benefits were limited. The supplement had no significant effect on the other three biological markers, and the cocoa extract provided no measurable benefit. This suggests that while an effect exists, This proves not uniform across all biological measurements.
Experts are urging caution in how these results are interpreted. Dr. Howard Sesso, an epidemiologist at the Mass General Brigham department of medicine and the study’s lead author, stated that these findings do not imply that all older adults should begin taking daily multivitamins. While he noted there were no known risks associated with the supplements in the two large clinical trials conducted, he added, “we do not know with certainty who benefits and in what way.”
the researchers emphasized that it is essential to determine the clinical relevance of these findings. For the general public, the conclusion is that multivitamins are not a “youth pill,” nor is there evidence that they extend lifespan. However, they may slightly influence certain biological processes, particularly in older adults who suffer from nutritional deficiencies.
