Nat Med

Daily multivitamin modestly slows epigenetic aging in large COSMOS trial

March 11, 2026

In a prespecified COSMOS ancillary analysis (N = 958), daily multivitamin‑multimineral (MVM) use modestly slowed the 2‑year progression of two second‑generation epigenetic aging clocks (PCGrimAge and PCPhenoAge) compared with placebo. Effects were more pronounced in adults showing accelerated biological aging at baseline. Cocoa extract had no measurable impact on any of the five clocks assessed. Investigators emphasized that the magnitude of MVM-related slowing was small and its clinical significance remains uncertain.

Clinical takeaway: Routine MVM use may modestly slow selected epigenetic aging measures in older adults, but evidence is not yet sufficient to inform clinical recommendations.

Source:

Li S, et al. (2026, March 9). Nat Med. Effects of daily multivitamin-multimineral and cocoa extract supplementation on epigenetic aging clocks in the COSMOS randomized clinical trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41803341/