Maintaining the ability to handle everyday tasks without severe or limiting symptoms is an important part of quality of life in older age. New research suggests that taking a daily multivitamin may help support that independence.
After 3 years, adults who received a daily multivitamin had significantly better functional health scores than participants who took a placebo. Researchers say the results indicate that multivitamins may help older adults preserve their ability to function from day to day, potentially through benefits involving cognitive health, circulation, and physical endurance.
"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," said Bayu B. Bekele, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Prevention Institute of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. "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."
A Large Study of Adults Over 60
Bekele presented the results at NUTRITION 2026, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. He conducted the research with Yanbin Dong, MD, PhD, Regents' Professor of Medicine and Director of the Georgia Prevention Institute of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
