Consuming a daily multivitamin supplement over two years may delay the biological ageing process by approximately four months, according to new findings.
New research published in Nature Medicine examined changes in DNA methylation patterns, which serve as markers of biological age rather than chronological age.
Biological age reflects the condition of one’s body, whereas chronological age measures how long someone has been alive.
These DNA modifications accumulate over time and influence gene function, forming the basis of what scientists term “epigenetic clocks”.
Slowing biological ageing might help prevent or reduce age-related diseases
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The underlying hypothesis suggests that slowing biological ageing might help prevent or reduce age-related diseases, potentially extending the years people enjoy good health.
However, the study’s authors acknowledged that determining the clinical significance of their findings remains essential.
The trial enrolled 958 healthy individuals with an average age of approximately 70 years, dividing them into four groups.
Participants received either a combination of cocoa extract and multivitamin, cocoa extract with a multivitamin placebo, a cocoa extract placebo alongside a multivitamin, or two placebo pills daily.
Blood samples were collected at the study’s outset and again after twelve and twenty-four months.
Researchers analysed these samples for alterations across five separate epigenetic clock measurements.
The findings revealed that multivitamin users demonstrated slower biological ageing on two of the five clocks, particularly those associated with estimating mortality risk.
Notably, the cocoa extract showed no impact on any of the epigenetic markers and did not interact with the multivitamin’s effects.
The study received funding from confectionery manufacturer Mars.
Dr Howard Sesso, an epidemiologist at Mass General Brigham’s department of medicine and the study’s senior author, cautioned that the results should not be interpreted as a directive for all older adults to begin taking supplements.
“There are no known risks for taking a multivitamin in our two large clinical trials. At the same time, we do not know for sure who benefits, and how,” he said.
“Nutritional status may partly explain the results, but these epigenetic clocks may reflect other age-related risk factors,” Sesso added.
Experts from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, writing in an accompanying commentary, concurred with the need for caution and emphasised that the observed effects were exceedingly modest.
The research team itself stressed that additional investigation is necessary to establish whether these findings translate into genuine clinical benefits.
Dr Marco Di Antonio, a biological ageing specialist at Imperial College London who was not involved in the research, noted that the connection between epigenetic clocks and practical aspects of ageing remains uncertain.
“I do not think that people should start taking multivitamins daily [necessarily], but these results demonstrate that having a healthy diet and lifestyle will have an effect on your biological age, as direct changes in the diet can have an impact on the clocks,” he said.
Supplements should complement – not replace – a healthy lifestyle
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He warned that supplement consumption would prove futile without accompanying healthy lifestyle choices, as detrimental habits negatively affect ageing in ways multivitamins cannot reverse.
Dr Pilar Guallar Castillón, an associate professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, offered more direct guidance.
“My personal advice is to stop taking multivitamins, whether in pill or gummy form,” she said.
“Eat a healthy, varied diet rich in fruit and vegetables [the main natural source of vitamins and minerals], and do not waste your money on nutritional supplements. There are huge commercial interests in their consumption and a lack of clinical evidence.”
