A study found that a daily multivitamin may help slow the body's rate of aging.
Researchers at Mass General Brigham said an analysis of data from a large randomized clinical trial of older adults from 2016 to 2020 showed that people who took a daily multivitamin for two years had biological age (body age) that became about 1 to 2 months younger. The findings were published in Nature Medicine on the 10th.
Unlike chronological age, which is how many years have passed since birth, biological age is a concept that shows how quickly the body is aging at the cellular level.
To assess biological age, the team used an epigenetic clock, which reads changes in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the blood. An epigenetic clock estimates the body's degree of aging by examining chemical marks that affect how DNA works.
The study used blood samples from 958 healthy participants with an average age of 70. Participants took combinations of a multivitamin and cocoa extract, or a placebo. The group that took a multivitamin showed a slowdown in aging of about 2.6 months and 1.4 months, respectively, on two aging markers closely linked to mortality risk.
In particular, people whose biological age was higher than their chronological age at the start of the study—meaning their bodies were aging faster—saw a greater effect. By one specific aging marker, the rate of aging slowed by about 2.8 months.
However, the effect did not appear uniformly across all aging markers. Of the five aging markers examined, two showed statistically clear changes, while the other three showed no clear differences. Cocoa extract, which was tested alongside, did not show anti-aging effects on any of the five markers.
Howard Sesso, associate director of preventive medicine at Mass General Brigham, said, "We confirmed that multivitamins are related to biological aging markers," adding, "It may help find ways to age healthfully."
The researchers plan follow-up studies to see whether the effect continues after the clinical trial ends. They also plan to further examine how this relates to prior findings showing multivitamins' effects on improved cognitive function, reduced cancer risk, and fewer cataracts.
The team added, "Because most participants were non-Hispanic white, there are limits to applying the results directly to all populations, and it is premature to conclude from the results alone that multivitamins are a cure-all," and "Further confirmation is needed on whether small shifts in biological age translate into actual reductions in disease or longer lifespan."
Laura Sinclair, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter in the U.K. and a director at the British Society for Research on Ageing, who was not involved in the study, said, "This study does not immediately recommend going out to buy and take supplements," adding, "For people who already eat a well-balanced diet, supplements may not be strictly necessary."
References
Nature Medicine (2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04239-3