Daily multivitamin might slow the biological clock, study finds

A large randomized trial (COSMOS) of about 21,442 older adults found that daily multivitamin use was associated with modest slowdowns in two DNA-based aging clocks over roughly two years.

Researchers report modest changes in DNA-based aging markers among older adults who took a daily multivitamin. The result comes from analyses tied to COSMOS, a large randomized, placebo-controlled trial led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The main trial enrolled 21,442 men and women with an average age of 72 and tested a daily multivitamin, a cocoa extract supplement, both, or a placebo. A subset of roughly 1,000 participants provided blood samples used to measure changes in epigenetic clocks over time. Key findings: - COSMOS was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 21,442 participants (average age 72) conducted between 2014 and 2020. - About 1,000 trial participants provided blood samples that were used to track five DNA-based “epigenetic clock” models. - Two clocks showed modest slowing for people taking a daily multivitamin: an average 2.6-month slowdown in PCPhenoAge and a 1.4-month slowdown in PCGrimAge over the study period. - Prior COSMOS analyses cited by the team reported improved memory among the multivitamin group and evidence suggesting a lower risk of lung cancer in that group. - The researchers caution that the relationship between changes in DNA clocks and clear, tangible health benefits remains uncertain, and most trial participants were older adults, so applicability to younger people is not established. Summary: The study reports modest reductions in two epigenetic aging measures among older adults taking a daily multivitamin, observed within the COSMOS trial framework. Researchers describe the findings as preliminary for biological aging measures and note uncertainty about how those clock changes map to real-world health outcomes. The research team plans further analysis of COSMOS data and calls for additional clinical studies to test effects of supplements and other interventions on biological aging.