In recent years there’ve surfaced murmurs of ongoing debate about whether a daily multivitamin is worth it. Few healthcare professionals would probably advise against taking your vitamin, especially when budget concerns have led many Americans to clamp down on grocery spending, including nutrient-rich foods. Still, some have asked: Is the bother really worth it?
It decidedly is, according to a study published March 2026 in Nature Medicine, a peer-vetted medical journal. And, few studies get so specific, but the team of researchers implemented Centrum as the specific multivitamin, which even beat out the effects of 500 milligrams of cocoa flavanol.
The 10-scientist doctor team came from Harvard University-affiliated organizations, as well as the University of Science and Technology of China, the Georgia Prevention Institute and Augusta University, and California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. Over two years, they studied 958 individuals, split nearly 50-50 between males and females, and analyzed five “epigenetic clocks” among these participants.
The participants were assigned to take either a daily multivitamin-mineral supplement—namely, Centrum Silver—a daily cocoa extract supplement containing of 500 milligrams cocoa flavanols, or a placebo. (Flavanols are a type of antioxidant demonstrated to lower inflammation and risks of conditions like heart disease and cancer.)
The researchers then measured biological aging using five “epigenetic clocks”—essentially molecular markers that can estimate how fast a person is aging at the cellular level. Based on DNA, these five “clocks” analyzed occurrences like pace of aging and biological age and risks for age-related disease and mortality.
The findings revealed some key insights. Taking a daily multivitamin modestly slowed the rate of biological aging on two of the five “clocks” tested. The effect was small but statistically significant, and was strongest among the people who were already aging faster than expected biologically.
On the other hand, the cocoa extract had no measurable effect on any of the five aging clocks.
The research team said the effect of multivitamin usage “on slowing biological aging” was “encouraging” and “statistically significant but small.” They added that more research is needed to understand the effect of multivitamins on aging-related chronic conditions.
Overall, other recent research has shown multivitamins support brain health and may help manage blood pressure, just as examples. Talk to your doctor—one way to get the most out of your vitamin could be to take it with a meal and a glass of water to make sure your body absorbs the water-soluble nutrients, like vitamins B and C, as well as those that are fat-soluble, like vitamin D.
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