Studies show that taking a multivitamin can help slow down the aging of our cells

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Multivitamins are one of the most popular supplements taken by Canadians, according to recent market research.

They are used to prevent nutrient deficiencies, maintain general health and support immune, bone and metabolic health.

Now, findings from a new study in Natural Medicine suggest there’s another reason to take a daily multivitamin.

Doing so may reduce your cell lifespan, overall health index, risk of chronic disease and physical activity.

Here’s what to know about the research and why it’s too early to widely recommend multivitamins to delay biological aging.

What does biological age mean?

Biological age is an estimate of how fast or slow your cells, tissues, and organ systems are aging, relative to how many years you’ve lived (chronological age).

It is influenced by genetics, health status, diet, physical activity, sleep habits, smoking and alcohol use, and stress.

Various tests are used to estimate biological age.

One approach involves the use of epigenetic clocks—devices that read small molecular tags in DNA, called epigenetic markers, that change in predictable ways with age. These changes alter how cells function, repair themselves and respond to stress.

If a person’s epigenetic markers in their DNA show patterns typically seen in older people, epigenetic clocks give a high estimate of their biological age.

Epigenetic clocks are among the most accurate biomarkers of biological aging.

Recent research

The new study is part of the Larger Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study, a randomized controlled trial conducted in 21,442 US adults to examine the effects of daily multivitamin or cocoa extract supplements on the risk of heart disease, cancer and other health outcomes.

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For the current substudy, published March 9, researchers analyzed blood samples from 958 healthy COSMOS participants, with an average age of 70, to evaluate the effect of a two-year supplement of multivitamins and cocoa on biological aging.

Participants were assigned to one of four groups: a daily multivitamin or placebo, a daily cocoa extract or placebo, a daily multivitamin and cocoa extract, or two placebo pills.

The multivitamin was formulated to meet the nutritional needs of adults over 50; It contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals, as well as to support heart, brain, eye and general health.

Biological age was estimated at study enrollment, at year one and at year two using five different epigenetic clocks, all strongly associated with chronic disease risk and mortality.

Daily multivitamin use slows down cellular aging

After accounting for age, sex, and baseline biological age of the participants, the researchers found that, compared to placebo, daily multivitamin supplementation reduced biological age by two out of five epigenetic clocks.

This slowdown was equivalent to a reduction in biological age of about four months over two years.

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The benefit of multivitamins was most pronounced in participants who were biologically older than their chronological age at the start of the trial.

These findings were generally consistent regardless of age, sex, body mass index, diet quality, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and use of cholesterol-lowering medications.

There is no evidence that daily supplementation of cocoa extract delays biological aging.

Researchers don’t know how multivitamins might slow biological aging.

In a cross-sectional analysis of COSMOS participants, researchers found that lower levels of carotenoids and vitamin E in the bloodstream were associated with faster biological aging at baseline.

It is possible that by improving nutritional status, a daily multivitamin may benefit biological aging.

What the findings can—and cannot—tell us

The results showed that taking a multivitamin daily for two years had a small, but statistically significant, protective effect on slowing biological aging in older adults.

While interesting, the findings are preliminary.

What’s more, it is not known whether a small, temporary reduction in biological age translates into living a longer life in good health.

However, there are signs that it could be.

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Smaller sub-analyses that occurred after the trial found that participants in the multivitamin group had slower biological aging and improved memory and inflammation.

Even so, more research is needed to determine whether the new trial’s findings are related to healthy aging outcomes.

Beyond the potential longevity benefits

Meanwhile, there are other reasons you can take a daily multivitamin.

This gives some assurance that you are meeting your daily requirements for many vitamins and minerals.

While it’s ideal to meet your daily vitamin and mineral needs from a healthy, balanced diet, it’s just not practical or possible for everyone.

Multivitamins are useful for those following a restricted or low-calorie diet, picky eaters, picky eaters, older adults, and people who have trouble absorbing certain nutrients.

Also, multivitamins ensure adequate intake of folic acid before and during pregnancy, a B vitamin necessary to prevent serious neural tube defects.

If you are not sure if you would benefit from a multivitamin, consult your health care provider.

In Canada, multivitamins and minerals are regulated as natural health products.

Look for the NPN (Natural Product Number) on the package when buying vitamin and mineral supplements.

This means that Health Canada has reviewed the product and approved its ingredients, dosages, manufacturing quality and health claims before it can be legally sold.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based personal trainer, is the director of food and nutrition at Medcan.