Topic: Health

A large clinical trial found that taking a daily multivitamin could help slow biological aging in older adults. Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from participants and found that two years of multivitamin use was linked to slower biological aging.

Scientists have been searching for ways to not just live longer, but to live better. A recent study suggests that taking a daily multivitamin could be one way to achieve this. Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from older adults who participated in a randomized clinical trial and found that two years of multivitamin use was linked to slower biological aging across several DNA-based measurements.

The effect was equal to roughly four fewer months of biological aging over the course of the study. The findings were published in Nature Medicine.

Biological age reflects how quickly the body is aging at the cellular level, which may differ from a person's actual age in years. To measure this process, researchers used 'epigenetic clocks,' which estimate biological aging by examining small chemical changes in DNA over time.

The new research used information from the COcoa Supplement Multivitamins Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a long-running clinical trial involving older adults. Investigators examined DNA methylation data from blood samples collected from 958 healthy participants whose average chronological age was 70.

Participants in the trial were randomly assigned to one of four groups: daily cocoa extract and multivitamin; daily cocoa extract and placebo; placebo and multivitamin; or placebo only. Researchers compared changes in five separate epigenetic clocks at the beginning of the study and again after one and two years.

Compared with participants who received only placebos, those taking a multivitamin showed slower biological aging across all five measurements. Two of the clocks, which are strongly associated with mortality risk, showed statistically significant slowing.

Overall, the findings suggested that multivitamin use reduced biological aging by about four months during the two-year period. The strongest effects appeared in participants whose biological age was already ahead of their chronological age when the trial began.

Why It Matters

This study could have important implications for older adults and those concerned with healthy aging. It may also lead to further research into the potential benefits of multivitamins for overall health and well-being.

Key Facts

• A large clinical trial found that taking a daily multivitamin could help slow biological aging in older adults.
• The study involved 958 healthy participants with an average chronological age of 70.
• Participants who took a multivitamin showed slower biological aging across all five epigenetic clocks measured.

Key Terms

Epigenetic clocks

A way to measure biological aging by examining small chemical changes in DNA over time

Implications

This study could have important implications for older adults and those concerned with healthy aging. It may also lead to further research into the potential benefits of multivitamins for overall health and well-being.