© kaboompics
March 11, 2026
PMC Redaktion
A new study in Nature Medicine suggests daily multivitamins may slow biological aging by about four months. Here’s what researchers found – and who might benefit most
The recent publication in the renowned journal Nature Medicine is causing a stir. What an American research team has discovered after two years of investigation sounds almost too good to be true: A regular multivitamin supplement taken daily can demonstrably slow down biological aging. Measurable in the blood, proven with scientific methods.
The birth date says little about how old a body really is. While the number on the ID card relentlessly increases, the organism can be biologically much younger or significantly older than the years suggest. This is precisely the difference measured by aging research as "biological age" – and it is medically highly relevant.
Those who age biologically like a 70-year-old at the age of 60 carry a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, dementia, and premature death. Conversely, those who keep their biological age below their chronological age generally live longer and healthier.
Biological aging is measured using so-called epigenetic clocks – biomarkers in the blood that analyze chemical markers on the DNA, known as methylation patterns. These patterns change with age in a predictable way, similar to the rings of a tree. Anyone who knows what to look for can read the true age of the body.
The research team led by Howard Sesso from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston evaluated blood samples from 958 healthy older adults. - Participants of the COSMOS study, one of the largest randomized prevention studies in the USA. The average age was 70 years.
Samples were taken three times: at the start, after one year, and after two years. The result: With daily multivitamin intake, two out of five epigenetic clocks slowed down significantly – precisely those considered indicators of mortality risk. The measured effect corresponds to a biological age difference of about four months over two years.
At first, this seems like little. But geroscientist Steve Horvath from Altos Labs in Cambridge emphasizes the importance of consistency: That several different measurement methods point in the same direction lends particular credibility to the results. “The public demand for evidence on whether daily supplements can slow aging is enormous,” says Horvath. “This study provides the most convincing data so far.”
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The effect was not equally strong for all participants. People whose biological age was already above their actual age at the start of the study benefited particularly significantly – those who, in a sense, were already starting with a deficit. For preventive medicine, this is an important finding: The preparation primarily works where the body has a real need to catch up.
Co-author Sesso clearly formulates the research group's intention: It is not about extending life at any cost. The goal is to spend the existing years of life in better health – and that's exactly where, he says, the study shows the way.
Which specific ingredient in the multivitamin is responsible for the observed anti-aging effect cannot be determined based on this study. Multivitamin supplements are not a uniform product but a cocktail of dozens of micronutrients: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, folate, zinc, selenium, and many others – in different combinations and dosages.
An obvious explanation: Older people often suffer from silent micronutrient deficiencies without these causing noticeable symptoms. Too little Vitamin B12, too little folate, too little selenium – this insidious deficiency could hinder cellular repair mechanisms and accelerate epigenetic aging processes.
A preparation that closes these gaps could stabilize methylation patterns and slow down biological aging. However, this hypothesis cannot be proven with the available data.
The study is a signal – not a carte blanche for uncritical dietary supplement consumption. High-dose single preparations can be harmful, interactions with medications are possible, and the market is littered with products of dubious quality. Anyone considering daily multivitamin supplementation should consult with their doctor or physician.
Furthermore, the question remains whether the measured changes in the epigenetic clocks can be translated into clinically relevant benefits in the long term: fewer diseases, a longer life. This leaves the study as a basis for further research, not as conclusive proof.
The real message of this research is both subtler and greater: Biological aging is not a predetermined fate. It can be influenced. And sometimes the means to do so is on the bedside table.
Yes – according to the study published in Nature Medicine in March 2026, daily multivitamin intake slowed biological aging by about four months over two years in older adults. The effect was measured using epigenetic biomarkers in the blood.
Epigenetic clocks are biomarkers that analyze DNA methylation patterns in the blood. These patterns change with age in a predictable manner and allow conclusions to be drawn about a person’s biological – as opposed to chronological – age.
Older people around 60 years and older who suffer from silent micronutrient deficiencies seem to benefit the most. As a rule of thumb: Medical advice should be sought before taking a dietary supplement.
The COSMOS study used a commercially available multivitamin supplement. The exact formulation is documented in the study, but it is still unclear which individual active ingredient triggered the anti-aging effect. Follow-up studies are to clarify this.
