Daily Multivitamin Helps Older Adults Stay Active and Independent Longer

Keypoints:

• • Researchers analyzed data from over 16,000 adults aged 60 and up
  • Participants took a daily multivitamin, a cocoa extract supplement, both, or neither for three years
  • The multivitamin group reported meaningfully better functional health after three years
  • Improvements covered everyday tasks like dressing, bathing, and climbing stairs
  • The finding is preliminary, not yet peer-reviewed, and the study pills were supplied by supplement makers

Most supplement studies concentrate on disease risk years down the line. This one asked something much more immediate. Are older adults still walking comfortably, climbing stairs, dressing themselves, and getting through daily routines without the same physical limitations? The answer came from a three-year trial involving more than 16,000 participants. 

Researchers at Augusta University analyzed data from the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), one of the largest clinical trials ever conducted on dietary supplements in older adults. 

Instead of concentrating only on heart disease, cancer, or other long-term outcomes, the team examined something people notice every day, how well they manage routine activities and how they feel physically.

Adults aged 60 and older were randomly assigned to receive a daily multivitamin, a cocoa extract supplement, both supplements together, or a placebo. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew which treatment each person received during the trial.

Three years later, participants taking the daily multivitamin reported better functional health than those in the placebo group. The largest improvements appeared in symptom burden and overall clinical scores, suggesting fewer day-to-day limitations and better physical function. 

Those measures included routine activities such as dressing, bathing, walking, climbing stairs, and household chores. Lead researcher Bayu Bekele said the study focused on everyday functioning because those changes have a direct impact on how older adults live rather than simply estimating future disease risk.

The findings still need to be viewed with appropriate caution. The research was presented at NUTRITION 2026 as a conference abstract and has not yet appeared in a peer-reviewed journal, so further review could alter the conclusions. Functional health was also assessed using participant questionnaires instead of objective physical performance tests. In addition, the study supplements were supplied by Haleon, the manufacturer of Centrum Silver, and Mars Edge, information the researchers disclosed alongside the study.