A Pill to Slow Aging? Surprising Study Results After Two Years of Daily Use [Reading Science]

Two-Year Clinical Trial with 958 Elderly Participants Shows Improvement in Some DNA-Based Aging Clock Markers
Experts Caution: "Limited Effect... Actual Delay in Aging Requires Careful Interpretation"

A study has found that taking a daily multivitamin·mineral supplement may slow down the rate of biological aging to some extent. However, experts caution that the effect size is limited, and a careful interpretation is needed as it remains unclear whether this actually translates into delayed aging.

A research team from Harvard Medical School in the United States conducted a two-year randomized clinical trial involving 958 older adults with an average age of about 70. The results showed that the group who took multivitamin·mineral supplements experienced a reduced rate of increase in some DNA-based aging markers. The findings were published in the international journal 'Nature Medicine' on March 10.

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The researchers had participants take either a multivitamin·mineral supplement, cocoa extract, or a placebo, and then analyzed five DNA methylation-based 'epigenetic clock' markers measured from blood samples.

Some 'Aging Clock' Markers Decreased in the Multivitamin Group

As a result, the group taking multivitamins showed a decrease in the yearly rate of increase for two aging clock markers used to predict mortality risk, by approximately 2.6 months and 1.4 months respectively. Notably, among participants whose biological aging rate was faster than average at the start of the trial, some markers showed a reduction effect of about 2.8 months.

In contrast, the group that took cocoa extract did not exhibit significant changes in aging markers. The research team explained that these results suggest multivitamin supplements may have some impact on the biological aging process.

However, experts interviewed by the Science Media Centre emphasized caution in interpreting the results. Luigi Fontana, a professor at the University of Sydney, commented, "Changes were observed in some DNA-based aging markers, but the effect size was small and not consistent across all markers."

Laura Sinclair, a researcher at the University of Exeter in the UK, analyzed, "The epigenetic clock is a useful tool for measuring aging, but because it does not capture the entire aging process, it should be interpreted alongside other biological markers."

Kyungsoo Oh, a professor at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy, stated, "Multivitamin use may be associated with a decrease in some epigenetic aging markers, but it is important to choose supplements considering an individual's health and nutritional status."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.