Daily multivitamin may help older adults stay independent
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- Bayu B. Bekele presented findings at NUTRITION 2026 showing adults aged 60+ taking a daily multivitamin scored significantly better on functional health measures after three years than those taking a placebo
- COSMOS trial data from more than 16,000 participants aged 60 and older showed the strongest gains in symptom burden and the clinical summary score on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire
- Yanbin Dong, Regents' Professor and Director of the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia, co-led the analysis with Bekele, framing the study as unique for measuring how people "actually feel and function" rather than disease prevention
- Cocoa extract, the other supplement tested, produced no overall functional health benefit but was linked to a significant improvement among participants with congestive heart failure
- The study was funded by National Institutes of Health grant HL157665; the results are preliminary, having been reviewed by an expert committee but not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal
Why it matters: For the over-16,000 adults aged 60+ in the COSMOS dataset, three years of daily multivitamin use tracked with measurable reductions in symptom burden and better scores on activities like walking, climbing stairs, and household chores — but the researchers explicitly position the supplement as a complement to diet and exercise, and the findings still await peer-reviewed publication.
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