A recent study has shown that daily multivitamin intake slows the pace of biological aging. According to the paper published in the journal Nature Medicine, taking supplements for two years slowed the biological aging process in older adults by approximately four months compared to those who took a placebo.
This effect was particularly noticeable in individuals whose biological age was greater than their chronological age, which indicated an accelerated rate of aging.
Within the framework of the study, scientists analyzed blood samples from 958 healthy participants with an average age of 70. To calculate biological age, they used five so-called ‘epigenetic clocks,’ or biomarkers that measure DNA methylation levels in the genome.
The results showed that multivitamins significantly slowed the aging process in two out of the five epigenetic clocks. These markers are considered indicators of mortality risk.
Although the observed effect is modest, scientists believe that such a difference, even on a population level, could have a significant impact on public health.
It remains unclear exactly what mechanism causes these supplements to produce this effect. The researchers’ current focus is to determine how effective multivitamins are compared to a healthy diet alone, and how these small changes in the biological clock will translate into real clinical outcomes and the quality of life for individuals in the long term.
