While aging cannot be stopped, a daily pill may be able to slow it down, according to a new study led by Army Gen. Brigham in Boston.
Among those who received daily multivitamin A study published in the journal Nature Medicine found that biological aging slowed by about four months over two years.
Biological aging refers to the pace of aging at the cellular level, which is often different from your chronological age.
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This finding comes from a large randomized clinical trial involving nearly 1,000 people. healthy elderly Average age is 70 years old. According to the study’s press release, participants were divided into four groups: one who took a daily multivitamin/multimineral supplement and cocoa extract, one who took daily cocoa extract and a placebo, one who took a placebo and a multivitamin, and one who took only a placebo.
The researchers analyzed blood samples taken from participants at three time points during the study, looking for five biomarkers known as the “epigenetic clock” that measure age-relatedness. changes in DNA.
“Aging at the cellular level is characterized by DNA methylation, with some cells having decreased DNA methylation and some cells having increased DNA methylation,” Fox News Senior Medical Analyst Dr. Mark Siegel told Fox News Digital. “This is also called epigenetic change, or DNA expression.”
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People who took the multivitamin showed reduced biological aging across all biomarkers, including two: Leads to longevity.
The researchers found that the biggest effects were seen in people who were already biologically older than their chronological age.
“Today, there is a lot of interest in identifying ways to not just live longer, but better,” senior author Howard Sesso, associate director of preventive medicine at the Massachusetts General Brigham Division, said in a press release.
“It was exciting to see the benefits of multivitamins in relation to markers of biological aging. This study opens the door to learning more about available and safe interventions that contribute to aging.” Achieving healthier, higher quality aging. ”
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Siegel, who was not involved in the study, called the results “scientific and important” and agreed that they should be studied further.
The doctor noted that it is not clear which part of the multivitamin is involved in slowing aging.
“There are so many possibilities, from biotin, calcium, zinc, vitamins B, C, D…niacin, and even metals like magnesium and copper,” he told FOX News Digital. “I personally believe in riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamin D, but more research is needed to dissect this and determine a causal relationship.”
The study has some limitations, such as the small effect of aging, and it is still unclear how it will affect real life. medical outcomes.
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Most of the research subjects were limited to: senior citizen That could mean it doesn’t generalize to larger groups.
The study also did not examine the relationship between epigenetic clock changes and real-world health outcomes, such as lower disease risk or longer lifespans.
Researchers are currently planning Follow-up survey To investigate whether the slowing of biological aging continued after the trial and the impact of these improvements on clinical outcomes.
Additional research will also examine other potential benefits of a daily multivitamin, such as cognitive function and cognitive function. Cancer risk reduction.
“Many people take multivitamins without necessarily knowing the benefits of taking them, so the more you learn about the potential health benefits of multivitamins, the better,” Sesso says. “We are fortunate and excited to build on our rich resource of biomarker data to test how the two interventions ameliorate biological aging and reduce age-related clinical outcomes.”
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This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
