New Research Reveals a Simple Supplement May Slow Biological Aging

A large clinical trial suggests that a daily multivitamin may influence the pace at which the body ages. Researchers led by Mass General Brigham report that older adults who took a daily multivitamin for two years showed signs of slower biological aging. The effect was strongest among participants who entered the study with a biological age higher than their chronological age. Biological age reflects how quickly the body is aging at the cellular level, which can differ from the number of years a person has lived.

Using data from a large randomized clinical trial of older adults, Mass General Brigham scientists examined whether a daily multivitamin influenced five measures of biological aging. After two years, the group taking multivitamins showed a reduction in biological aging equivalent to about four months compared with participants who received a placebo. The findings were published in Nature Medicine. Multivitamins and the Biology of Aging "There is a lot of interest today in identifying ways to not just live longer, but to live better," said senior author Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, associate director of the Division of Preventive Medicine in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine.

"It was exciting to see benefits of a multivitamin linked with markers of biological aging. This study opens the door to learning more about accessible, safe interventions that contribute to healthier, higher-quality aging." Scientists estimate biological age using tools called epigenetic clocks. These methods measure subtle chemical changes in DNA that influence how genes are turned on or off. The process, known as DNA methylation, shifts naturally with age and is linked to overall aging and mortality risk.

The research drew on data from the COcoa Supplement Multivitamins Outcomes Study (COSMOS). Investigators analyzed DNA methylation patterns in blood samples from 958 randomly selected healthy participants whose average chronological age was 70. Tracking Aging Through Epigenetic Clocks Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: daily cocoa extract with a multivitamin, cocoa extract with a placebo, a multivitamin with a placebo, or two placebos. Blood samples were collected at the start of the study and again after one and two years.

Researchers evaluated changes using five epigenetic clocks. Compared with the placebo-only group, participants taking a multivitamin showed slower biological aging across all five measures. Two of the clocks, which are known to predict mortality risk, showed statistically significant slowing. Overall, the difference corresponded to roughly four months less biological aging during the two-year study.

Participants who began the trial with a biological age older than their chronological age experienced the greatest improvement. Future Research on Long-Term Effects "We plan to do follow-up research to determine if the slowing of biological aging -- observed through these five epigenetic clocks, and additional or new ones -- persists after the trial ends," said co-author and collaborator Yanbin Dong, MD, PhD, director of Georgia Prention Institute, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta Univeristy. Researchers say more studies are needed to understand how these biological changes relate to real-world health outcomes. The COSMOS team plans to examine whether the effects of a daily multivitamin on biological aging are connected to other potential benefits seen in the trial, including improved cognition and lower rates of cancer and cataracts.

"A lot of people take a multivitamin without necessarily knowing any benefits from taking it, so the more we can learn about its potential health benefits, the better," said Sesso. "Within COSMOS, we are fortunate and excited to build upon a rich resource of biomarker data to test how two interventions may improve biological aging and reduce age-related clinical outcomes." Reference: "Effects of daily multivitamin-multimineral and cocoa extract supplementation on epigenetic aging clocks in the COSMOS randomized clinical trial" by Sidong Li, Rikuta Hamaya, Haidong Zhu, Brian H. Chen, Alexandre C. Pereira, Kerry L.

Ivey, Pamela M. Rist, JoAnn E. Manson, Yanbin Dong and Howard D. Sesso, 9 March 2026, Nature Medicine.

DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04239-3 Funding: This work is funded by the National Institutes of Health (HL157665). The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) is supported by an investigator-initiated grant from Mars Edge, a segment of Mars dedicated to nutrition research and products, which included infrastructure support and the donation of study pills and packaging. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon) provided support through the partial provision of study pills (Centrum Silver and placebo) and packaging. COSMOS is also supported in part by grants AG050657, AG071611, and EY025623 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

Additional investigator-initiated support for this work was also from investigator-initiated grants to HDS from both FOXO Technologies and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Charitable donations made possible by Sutter Health's California Pacific Medical Center Foundation provided salary support for Chen. Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter. Follow us on Google and Google News.