An international team of researchers investigated how multivitamins affect biological aging in older people.
The results suggest a small change in the body’s aging markers.
According to research published in Nature Medicine, the scientists analyzed blood samples from 958 healthy participants with an average age of around 70.
The data come from the so-called COSMOS study, which investigates the effects of dietary supplements.
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Researchers measured biological age using DNA methylation, a method that can estimate the body’s aging process through epigenetic clocks.
The approach analyzes biological markers in cells that change over time.
Two-year trial
In the trial, participants were divided into four groups. Some received daily multivitamins, others cocoa extract, while part of the group received a placebo.
Over a period of two years, researchers analyzed changes in five different epigenetic clocks.
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These tools are used in research to calculate biological age based on molecular signals in the blood.
After reviewing the data, the researchers observed differences between the groups in the trial.
Participants who took multivitamins showed a slower progression in biological markers of aging, measured using five epigenetic clocks.
The analyses suggested that this group had, on average, biological aging that was about four months lower over the two-year study period.
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The most pronounced effect was observed among participants who, at the beginning of the study, had a biological age higher than their chronological age.
Ongoing debate about supplements
The results contribute to a broader debate about dietary supplements.
A large analysis published in 2024 in JAMA Network Open followed nearly 400,000 American adults for more than two decades.
In that study, researchers found no link between regular use of multivitamins and a lower risk of early death.
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Many nutrition experts therefore continue to emphasize diet as the most important source of nutrients.
According to researchers behind the COSMOS study, a varied and balanced diet should remain the primary foundation for healthy aging.
Sources: Prevention, Nature Medicine, and JAMA Network Open.
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