A cheap, standard daily multivitamin may slow the body’s ageing process, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that older adults who took the supplements every day for two years aged more slowly at a cellular level – an effect roughly equal to reducing their biological age by about four months.
As we age, cells gradually become damaged and release chemicals that cause inflammation, while the body becomes less able to repair itself.
Over time, this raises the risk of illnesses such as cancer, dementia and heart disease – and the process is believed to be the reason many illnesses become more common from mid-life onwards.
However, there has been growing interest among scientists in whether it may be possible to slow – or even reverse – the body’s biological clock.
A large randomised clinical trial measured the biological age of nearly 1,000 healthy adults aged around 70, using blood samples to analyse age-related DNA changes known as methylation.
These samples were taken at the start, after one year and after two years.
Researchers measured biological age using ‘epigenetic clocks’ – tests that track age-related changes in DNA that reflect how fast the body is ageing biologically.
Researchers found that older adults who took the supplements every day for two years aged more slowly at a cellular level
The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showed that participants who took the multivitamin experienced slower ageing across all five DNA-based ageing measures compared with those taking a placebo.
The effect was strongest in people who were already ageing faster biologically than their actual age when the study began.
The trial was led by researchers at Massachusetts General Brigham using data from the COSMOS trial, a large US study investigating the health effects of supplements.
Scientists say the findings suggest multivitamins could be a simple, accessible way to support healthier ageing, although the benefits were modest.
Multivitamins typically contain nutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E and B vitamins, along with minerals including zinc, magnesium and iron to help fill nutritional gaps.
The British Dietetic Association recommends that over-65s take a supplement of vitamin D of 10 micrograms per day to support bone and muscle health. This advice is particularly important for those who are frail, housebound or have limited sun exposure.
‘There is a lot of interest today in identifying ways to not just live longer, but to live better,’ said the paper’s senior author, Howard Sesso.
‘A lot of people take a multivitamin without necessarily knowing any benefits from taking it, so the more we can learn about its potential health benefits, the better.
‘This study opens the door to learning more about accessible, safe interventions that contribute to healthier, higher-quality ageing.’
However, the researchers stressed that the study measured changes in DNA markers linked to ageing rather than actual lifespan or disease risk.
It’s far from the only drug being investigated for anti-ageing properties.
In a rapidly growing field known as geroscience, scientists are testing drugs designed to prevent age-related diseases and help people stay healthier for longer.
In a potentially major development, researchers at biotech company Mabwell have started the first human tests of a drug that blocks interleukin-11 (IL-11), a molecule that increases in our bodies as we age.
In younger people, levels spike briefly during illness. But with advancing age, immune system cells begin pumping out IL-11 continuously, meaning the ’emergency’ response never properly switches off. This can lead to chronic inflammation that damages organs such as the heart, lungs and muscles.
Research has shown that raised IL-11 levels are linked to more aggressive breast, bowel and lung cancers and lower survival rates.
But a 2024 study in Nature found that a new molecule, code-named 9MW3811, which blocks IL-11, extended the lifespan of older mice prone to age-related cancers by about a quarter and reduced both the number and severity of tumours.
Its wider potential for longevity explains why Calico Life Sciences – an anti-ageing research company owned by Google’s parent company – recently signed an exclusive US licensing deal for the drug.
GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide (brand names Ozempic and Wegovy) may also slow age-related diseases.
A study in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2023 found that semaglutide reduced heart attacks and strokes by 20 per cent in people with obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Crucially, only about a third of this benefit came from weight loss – suggesting the drug may have additional protective effects, such as reducing inflammation. Analyses have also found the drugs may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
