“Live long and prosper” isn’t just for the Trekkies of the universe. Between longevity buzzing in the halls of Natural Products Expo West and new reports on the role of multivitamins in healthy aging, one thing is clear: the dietary supplement industry has an opportunity to help consumers live longer, better.
The opportunity isn’t to sell just any product, however. The science of longevity and healthy aging has come a long way in showing how certain compounds, from simple vitamins and minerals to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) boosting ingredients, can meaningfully improve aging on a biological and cellular level.
Let’s look at the recent learnings on the role of multivitamins in longevity and what the industry can learn from these advances, but first — a quick, historical hot take.
Triage theory and longevity vitamins
Although David Sinclair, whose lab discovered the link between NAD+ and lifespan, is one of the most prominent figures in longevity and healthy aging, another scientist should not be forgotten — the late Bruce Ames.
A former professor of biochemistry at the University of California — Berkeley, Ames coined the “triage theory” in 2006. His research suggested that micronutrient deficiencies accelerate cellular aging processes that dietary supplements could mitigate.
“Why not recommend that a MVM (multivitamin and mineral) supplement be added to a healthy lifestyle?” Ames asked in his published theorem.
In 2018, Ames took it a step further, discussing the presence of “longevity proteins,” including enzymes, and the necessity of “longevity vitamins” for their proper function.
“Why not recommend that a multivitamin and mineral supplement be added to a healthy lifestyle?” – Bruce Ames
He postulated that aside from the 30 vitamins and minerals necessary for health and metabolism, three categories of longevity vitamins exist:
Vitamins and minerals that support survival along with longevity (vitamin D, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids).
“Conditional” vitamins that are made inside the body but “not at a level that is sufficient to optimize metabolism” (choline and taurine).
“Putative longevity vitamins,” which aren’t accepted as vitamins but are dietary substances that provide benefits for healthy aging (ergothioneine, pyrroloquinoline quinone, queuine and the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin).
“In addition to keeping physically fit, the low-hanging fruit in prolonging a healthy aging lies in optimizing vitamin and mineral intake,” Ames concluded.
Healthy aging goes galactic in COSMOS trial
Multivitamins may have the power to slow the biological clock, according to a report published in Nature in early March 2026.
The Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) followed more than 21,000 participants for three years, evaluating the impact of supplementation with a multivitamin — Centrum Silver — or a cocoa extract containing 500 mg of flavanols, including 80 mg (-)-epicatechin.
The results showed that participants who took multivitamins experienced memory improvements compared to those who took a placebo. The study also demonstrated flavanol consumption was positively associated with memory.
In the Nature report, researchers evaluated a subset of 958 participants aged 65 or older who were free of major morbidity or chronic disease.
The scientists evaluated blood samples from participants for DNA methylation (DNAm), a marker of biological aging. Cocoa flavanols did not significantly impact the measurements. However, participants who supplemented with a multivitamin did show modest but statistically significant decreases in DNAm in their blood samples.
While not necessarily “out of this world,” the results provide clinical evidence that multivitamins may slow aging, a finding the authors stress should be corroborated by additional clinical trials.
“Your biological age is how your body is aging on the inside.” – Alpa Shah
Major media outlets highlighted the study shortly after its release, noting that the change in biological age corresponded to a four-month decrease over a two-year period.
However, experts in the field urged caution in interpreting the results, because physical activity was not factored into the results and the data could not be traced to specific active components within the multivitamin.
Alpa Shah, senior director for medical and scientific affairs at Haleon (the manufacturer of Centrum Silver), discussed the study on the CBS Morning Show.
“Your biological age is how your body is aging on the inside,” Shah said. “It is influenced by things like your genetics but also your lifestyle choices, how you eat, how you sleep.”
While Shah found the results encouraging, she also stressed the importance of further research, saying it “is needed to really link that slower biological aging to long-term health outcomes.”
Multivitamins impact longevity beyond biological aging
How multivitamins play a role in longevity isn’t as simple as slowing biological aging, however.
Another recent review of 19 meta-analyses examining multivitamin use suggested that they may increase longevity by improving cognitive health, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
This seems promising until we look at the impact of sex on cancer risk. A 2023 study published in GeroScience combined results from the COSMOS trial with two other large cohort studies — the SU.VI.MAX study and the Physician’s Health Study II. The authors uncovered that multivitamins reduced cancer risk only in men.
Then there is the question of whether multivitamins have any impact at all on longevity. Of the centenarians participating in the 2018 cohort of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, approximately one in 10 reported using dietary supplements.
It is noteworthy that women aged 100 or older were more likely to use supplements, and that among the nearly 2,900 centenarians, more than 2,000 were women.
Supplement usage is not as prominent in China as in the United States (the location of the COSMOS study), as another report on the Chinese longevity study stated 11.91% of participants aged 65 or older used supplements, with calcium being the most common.
The role of nutrition in healthspan
Yet centenarians provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the role of nutrition in longevity. A review of the diet of centenarians yielded several findings, some of which are consistent with modern advice from dietitians and nutritionists:
Plant-based foods rich in fiber and polyphenols contribute positively to microbial diversity within the gut.
Intermittent fasting and calorie restriction activate pathways that improve cellular resilience.
Micronutrients play a significant role in the management of oxidative stress and inflammation.
The authors said it best: “Findings from centenarian regions highlight the convergence of lifestyle, nutrition and cultural practices that reduce systemic inflammation, maintain metabolic flexibility and support healthy aging trajectories.”
“Now is the time to consider whether and how supplements can be part of the ‘Food is Medicine’ movement.” – Council for Responsible Nutrition report
The researchers noted that clinical data on the role of dietary supplements in healthy aging is lacking. Citing the study on the Chinese longevity survey described above, they suggested the key to living a long life likely lies in “balanced diets and sustainable lifestyles” rather than the use of supplements.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) also emphasized the role of nutrition in healthy aging in its international symposium report, highlighting the “Food is Medicine” movement, but also supported supplement use in conjunction with diet.
Citing results on clinical trials with some of the longevity vitamins suggested by Dr. Ames, the symposium report questioned whether dietary supplements should be included in the movement. The authors stated that supplements are just that — meant to supplement the diet and not replace proper nutrition.
“Now is the time to consider whether and how supplements can be part of the Food is Medicine movement,” the CRN report said.
Is a multivitamin truly necessary?
“As a dietitian, food is always first,” Shah said. “But I also follow the data, and evidence from national nutrition surveys consistently shows that Americans fall short on getting not just one, but multiple vitamins and minerals.”
