Do multivitamins help with healthy ageing?
Daily multivitamins appear to offer modest protection for older adults' memory, but for most other aspects of healthy ageing the effect is small or absent. If you have a confirmed deficiency in vitamins or minerals, supplementation is certainly worthwhile; do not regard it as a wonder remedy.
The strongest evidence for multivitamins in healthy ageing comes from memory research. In a large randomised trial (over 3,500 older adults taking a daily multivitamin for three years), participants scored better on episodic memory than the placebo group. The benefit was equivalent to reversing approximately three years of age-related memory decline, appeared after just one year, and was sustained thereafter. A pooled analysis of three sub-studies within the same research programme confirmed this picture consistently. Effects on other cognitive functions, such as object recognition or planning and organising, were not found.
For immune function the picture is more nuanced. If you are deficient in certain vitamins or minerals, that increases your susceptibility to infection and slows recovery. Supplementing up to recommended levels can correct that deficiency and improve your immune defences. Whether multivitamins also do anything in the absence of a deficiency has not been demonstrated. Bear in mind as well that the research behind this was funded by a multivitamin manufacturer, which puts the findings in perspective.
In the area of fall prevention, vitamin D is relevant for older adults in care settings who have a low vitamin D level. They fell on average about 37% less often. That sounds impressive, but the probability of having at least one fall at all did not change. Whether this also applies to community-dwelling older adults with a normal vitamin D level cannot be determined from these data.
Finally, animal studies and small-scale human studies are investigating specific supplements that may improve muscle cell function, including omega-3 fatty acids and several other compounds. These are not ordinary multivitamins, and the evidence is limited and early-stage. Long-term safety and efficacy have not yet been established, and several researchers in this field have financial ties to supplement manufacturers.
Claims are based on PMID 37244291 (COSMOS-Web RCT and meta-analysis), PMID 30336639 (immune function review, funded by Bayer) and PMID 40832852 (Cochrane review on fall prevention). Conflicts of interest are explicitly noted for the relevant studies. The cognitive studies come from a single large research programme (COSMOS) by the same research group.
Does taking resveratrol make sense as an anti-ageing strategy?
For humans there is no convincing evidence that resveratrol supplements do anything against ageing; the animal research is interesting but has not yet translated into clinical practice, so hold off on supplements until better human data are available.
Does cold water swimming improve healthy aging?
For most healthy people, occasional cold water swimming is probably safe. Do you have cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure? Discuss it with your doctor first, because the blood pressure effects are considerable.
Does metformin help you live a longer, healthier life?
For people with type 2 diabetes, metformin has real health benefits, but whether it also keeps healthy people fit for longer is something we do not yet know. Wait for the results of the large ongoing studies before considering it as an anti-aging agent, and always discuss its use with your doctor.
Do GLP-1 medications (such as Ozempic) help you age more healthily?
For people with cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, or fatty liver disease, GLP-1 medications offer proven benefits that are also relevant at older ages. As an anti-ageing intervention in healthy people, their use is not yet supported by evidence.
Does rapamycin help people live longer in good health?
Rapamycin demonstrably extends the lifespan of mice and other animals, but whether the same holds true for humans has not yet been supported by large clinical studies. Do not use it without medical supervision: side effects are real and many organ systems have barely been studied in humans.
Does spermidine actually do anything against ageing?
Animal research and population studies provide indications that spermidine can slow ageing processes, but evidence from randomised trials in humans is still largely absent. It is too early to recommend a supplement, but eating spermidine-rich food is at least harmless.