Study: Multivitamins Slow Aging in Older Adults

A new study has found that daily multivitamin supplements may modestly slow the biological aging process in older adults, offering a potential low-risk intervention to support healthier aging. Researchers reported that participants taking the supplements for two years experienced a reduction in key markers of cellular aging equivalent to about four months compared to those receiving a placebo. The findings, drawn from a large clinical trial, were published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.

The research is part of the COSMOS trial, which involved more than 21,000 older adults and examined the effects of daily supplements on age-related health outcomes. In this analysis, scientists focused on 958 healthy participants with an average age of 70, most of whom were of European descent. The group included roughly equal numbers of men and women, all free of chronic diseases during the study period.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of four regimens: a daily multivitamin-multimineral supplement, a cocoa extract, both, or placebos. Blood samples were collected at the start, after one year, and after two years. Researchers measured biological aging through epigenetic clocks,...