Daily Multivitamin Linked to Improved Functional Health in Older Adults, Trial Finds

08/04/2026 / By Coco Somers

Multivitamin Use Tied to Better Symptom Burden in Older Adults, Study Says

Findings presented this week at the 2026 annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition indicate that a daily multivitamin-mineral supplement may support functional health in older adults, according to the research team. The results come from the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study, or COSMOS, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that included more than 16,000 adults aged 60 and older ^[1].

Researchers reported that daily multivitamin use was associated with improvements in symptom burden and overall clinical summary scores over a three-year period. The findings were presented as initial results, according to the researchers.

Study Design and Measures

In COSMOS, participants were assigned to receive a daily multivitamin-mineral supplement, a cocoa extract supplement, both products, or neither, with placebos used across all groups to preserve blinding, according to the trial. The study was designed to test whether either intervention could meaningfully support cardiovascular-related functional health in adults aged 60 and older, the researchers said.

Each year, participants completed assessments of physical ability, including dressing, bathing, walking, and climbing stairs; symptom burden, including fatigue, swelling, and shortness of breath; and an overall clinical summary score combining both domains. Outcomes in the supplement groups were compared against placebo groups over the three-year follow-up, according to the report.

Multivitamin Findings and Subgroup Results

After three years, participants who took a daily multivitamin reported less fatigue, less swelling, and less shortness of breath compared with the placebo group, according to the study ^[1]. Overall clinical summary scores also improved in the multivitamin group, the report said.

Physical ability scores did not show a statistically significant change in the overall group, according to the findings. A subgroup of 122 participants with carotid stenosis, a narrowing of the arteries in the neck that can affect blood flow to the brain, showed larger improvements in overall functional health scores, researchers said. The researchers called for more targeted trials to confirm that finding.

Cocoa Extract and Study Limitations

Cocoa extract did not improve functional health scores in the overall study population, according to the findings ^[1]. However, a meaningful benefit was observed among participants with congestive heart failure, where cocoa extract helped preserve symptom burden scores over the three-year period, researchers said. Earlier research has pointed to potential cardiovascular benefits for cocoa flavanols, including a lower risk of heart attack and stroke ^[2].

The researchers described the carotid stenosis subgroup as relatively small and said additional trials are needed before drawing broader conclusions. The new results do not show a general benefit for cocoa extract on functional health in older adults, but the investigators said the heart failure finding may open the door to more targeted research.

Context and Next Steps

Bayu B. Bekele, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Prevention Institute of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, said: “What makes this work unique is our focus on functional health, how people actually feel and function in their daily lives — rather than just the prevention of major diseases. For older adults, these findings suggest that a daily multivitamin could be a helpful, low-risk addition to a healthy lifestyle to support physical well-being as they age, although it is not a substitute for a good diet or exercise.”

Other COSMOS analyses have linked daily multivitamin use to slowed cognitive aging, according to a separate report ^[3]. A 2023 study found that older adults taking multivitamin supplements experienced improvements in memory ^[4]. The researchers said the latest results point to a need for further targeted studies on specific populations, including those with carotid stenosis and heart failure.

Food is the best source of nutrients, but with soil health declining and many people not eating an ideal diet, multivitamins may help address gaps, according to one analysis ^[5]. For adults over 60, a daily multivitamin can provide a baseline source of vitamin D, according to the UC Berkeley Wellness Self-Care Handbook ^[6]. Regular exercise and a balanced diet remain the foundation of healthy aging, according to Dana M. Elia ^[7].

References

Everyday Health. “Could a Multivitamin Help You Age Better? Study Suggests Yes”. July 27, 2026.
Mercola.com. “Could Chowing Down on Cocoa Fix Your Heart”. March 30, 2022.
ANH International. “ANH News Beat Week 04 2024”. January 25, 2024.
Mercola.com. “Can Taking a Multivitamin Improve Your Memory?”. June 15, 2023.
Mercola.com. “Do You Really Need a Multivitamin? Your Memory Might”. November 06, 2023.
Swartzberg John Edward. “The UC Berkeley Wellness Self-Care Handbook: The Everyday Guide to Prevention, Home Remedies”.
Dana M Elia. “The Stem Cell Activation Diet”.