# Daily habit that slows aging has been revealed

A large-scale clinical study spanning two years has yielded unexpected results: ordinary multivitamins can slow the biological aging of the body. This conclusion was reached by a team of American scientists who analyzed data from nearly a thousand elderly volunteers. The results of the study have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine.

The question of the real benefits of vitamin supplements has been a persistent concern for the scientific community for years. The global market offers over 100,000 different dietary supplements, yet their impact on life expectancy remains a subject of heated debate. A number of studies indicate that vitamins do not add years to one's life but may nonetheless provide tangible health benefits in old age.

As part of the large-scale COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), scientists monitored nearly 1,000 participants over two years, with an average age of approximately 70. The volunteers were randomly divided into groups: some were assigned a daily multivitamin-mineral complex, others received cocoa flavanol extract, and the rest were given a placebo.

After two years, the researchers assessed participants' biological aging indicators using epigenetic "clocks" — cutting-edge methods for determining the body's true age based on changes in DNA.

The findings proved quite telling: in people who took multivitamins, aging processes proceeded noticeably slower. The effect was recorded across two epigenetic models — PCPhenoAge and PCGrimAge. According to the scientists' calculations, multivitamin intake was associated with a reduction in biological age of approximately 0.113 years annually on the PCGrimAge scale and 0.214 years on the PCPhenoAge scale.

In addition, the scientists recorded further positive changes. Participants in the multivitamin group showed improved inflammation markers and cognitive function.

A particularly pronounced aging-deceleration effect was observed in those volunteers who had already shown signs of accelerated biological aging before the experiment began. This may suggest that multivitamins help compensate for hidden nutritional deficiencies in the body.

However, the study's authors urge caution in interpreting the results. Although the changes in epigenetic markers appear promising, the question remains open: will this lead to an actual increase in lifespan or a tangible improvement in health over the long term.