Best supplements for aging – a shock multivitamin study and the nutrients to prioritize

A major new study created waves around the world when it found that taking a daily multivitamin does not help people to live longer and may actually have a slightly negative impact. 

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in the US analysed health records from nearly 400,000 adults with no significant health conditions to see whether daily multivitamins reduced their risk of death over the next 20 years. 

Rather than living longer, people who took daily multivitamins were marginally – by around 4% – more likely overall than non-users to die in the study period, with researchers concluding that “multivitamin use to improve longevity is not supported”. 

What does it mean?

The size of the study does seem to suggest taking a daily multivitamin could not be expected to boost longevity in most people. The slight increase in deaths among the group who did take multivitamins during the study period is less statistically relevant.

Multiple dietitians and nutritionists have come forward to say in the light of this new multivitamin study, that supplements in themselves are unlikely to increase lifespan because, aside from genetics, the things we really know make the difference are nutrition, exercise and sleep. 

The healthier and more varied our diet, the less the need to supplement. 

But, they say there are some key nutrients that we can struggle to get enough of from food and particularly as we age when we tend to become less efficient at absorbing vitamins and minerals.

So let’s take a look now at where the consensus lies when it comes to supplements. And remember, that it’s always a good idea to discuss vitamin supplementation with your doctor because of your unique health history and possible drug interactions.

Vitamin D 

Let’s look firstly at vitamin D. That’s because it’s endorsed by a clear majority of doctors, nutritionists and health authorities. A lack of vitamin D is linked with lowering bone density and increasing your risk of developing osteoporosis as well as some chronic diseases. 

The government advice in the UK is for people to take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D equivalent to 400 IUs a day, year-round, to keep our levels up.  

But it’s all the more important in winter because our main natural source of vitamin D is sunlight.  

In the US, the National Institutes of Health says the average (non-deficient) adult should aim for 600 IUs per day in their diet. 

But that advice is aimed at preventing a deficiency in vitamin D and not designed to help achieve optimal levels. 

Higher dosing

A global group of scientists came together over the covid pandemic to advocate for taking higher levels of vitamin D than currently recommended by health officials – at 4000 IUs a day. 

Excessive levels of vitamin D could be harmful and health officials in the UK advise not to exceed that daily dose. 

You want to make sure your vitamin supplement contains D3, the form that ensures that calcium is absorbed easily, and taking vitamin K2 alongside it helps activate the protein, osteocalcin, which integrates calcium into our bone so that’s why you often see them together. 

Calcium is another frequently recommended supplement by doctors as we age to help maintain bone density, but at this stage I rely on dietary sources of calcium, alongside my vitamin D and K2 supplement. And most of us should be able to source enough calcium through a healthy diet. 

The supplement I take also includes magnesium which supports vitamin D activation while having its own health benefits. 

And personally, I believe vitamin D has reduced the number and severity of seasonal illlnesses I get, and has made a big difference to how I feel in winter, because before I took a regular supplement I suffered from seasonal affective mood disorder every winter and seemed to get colds more often too.

B Vitamins

B vitamins are important because they help the body convert food into energy and our blood cells need B vitamins to function. 

A big one to check as we age and ensure we have sufficient levels is B12 because it’s fairly common for older people to either be deficient or have sub-optimal levels. Low vitamin B12 not only causes you to feel weak and tired, but it has also been linked with poorer brain function. 

B3 or niacin and the related supplements NMN and NR have also come to prominence because they have been linked with helping increase levels of NAD in our cells which is critical for keeping them energized and working efficiently. 

The best form of B3 to take is a whole different question with prominent scientists at odds over this.

NMN – our experience

I’ve talked before about why along with my husband and parents, I continue to take NMN – albeit at a relatively low dose every other day – because each of us feel we have had benefits including reduced daytime tiredness.

My parents also have reduced arthritis pain, with my mum – who has tried both NR and NMN – convinced that NMN is the supplement that makes the biggest difference to her pain. My dad feels it helps reduce inflammation because of the improved pain in his foot due to arthritis and also, because he has an enlarged prostate, he has less urinary urgency when taking NMN. 

However, while there are promising animal studies, the evidence from human studies so far for NMN is not overwhelming and it is also not widely available for sale in the US while it is being investigated as a potential prescription drug by the FDA. 

Intriguing new NR study

But the good news is NR – nicotinamide riboside – a cheaper vitamin B3 derivative recently attracted attention because it was found to significantly boost mobility in a group of older people with peripheral arterial disease caused by fatty deposits called plaques which build up in the arteries restricting blood flow. 

Scientists at Northwestern University and the University of Florida worked with a group of 90 men and women, mostly in their 70s, who had the condition and measured how far each volunteer could walk in six minutes. 

Half the group took then took 1000mg of the NR supplement for six months while the rest took a placebo.  

The results, published in the journal Nature Communications, showed that those taking the supplement regularly were able to walk 23 feet further on average over 6 minutes at the end of the trial.  

Some of the group given NR were also given resveratrol but no statistically significant conclusion could be drawn because there was less compliance in this group with researchers speculating it may have been due to the higher incidence of side effects like upset stomach in the group that were also given resveratrol.  

Walking speed actually fell in those who took a placebo, because peripheral artery disease causes progressive decline in walking performance so the supplement appeared to not only stop the progression but improve mobility overall. 

The researchers also say a larger trial is now needed to fully confirm the results, but it is another interesting study that does point to there being something special about B3 in relation to aging and it’s one to keep a close eye on.

Supplements safety

What’s also not known though is the long-term safety of taking B3 related supplements particularly at higher doses. 

Personally, I try to hedge my bets by alternating between taking a lower dose of 250mg of NMN one day, and I take a multivitamin on other days which includes an active or methylated B vitamin complex, because the methylated form can be absorbed more readily. 

But that dose may still be overdoing it. And the reality with supplementing at the moment is that we just can’t be sure what the correct amounts or assortment of vitamins are for us, particularly long term – which is why the greater focus has got to be put on diet and lifestyle. 

Just like skincare I don’t believe we need to be using high-strength supplements daily and there are a lot of doctors who flag that problems can start when we go to extremes. 

It’s also a good idea to get your vitamin and mineral levels tested every now and then to check for deficiencies or levels that may be too high. 

Omega 3

Another important nutrient supplement commonly recommended is of course Omega 3.  

Now we can source omega 3 fatty acids naturally through oily fish like salmon and trout, and also plant foods like walnuts, flaxseed and chia seeds. I include walnuts in the handful of nuts I eat every day and I try to eat fish twice a week to try to ensure I’m getting enough omega 3.

But I do supplement from time to time and for those who struggle to get enough through their diet, it may be worth considering a supplement because our bodies need these polyunsaturated fats and we can only get them from food or supplements. 

Some studies suggest it’s the consumption of omega 3s in our diet that offers the most all-round benefit. 

Having a higher intake of omega 3 has been shown to help with depression and anxiety (though it’s not suggested as a primary treatment for those conditions), improved eye health and a reduced risk of macular degeneration. 

Significantly it has also been shown to support heart health with lower rates of heart attack and stroke in fish-eating communities linked to higher omega3 consumption and it’s thought to help lower inflammation.  

While those are what I would call the mainstream anti-aging supplements there are some other interesting ones to mention.

Creatine

Creatine is a natural chemical that’s mostly found in your muscles and brain and also produced by your pancreas and kidneys and it’s mainly stored in your muscles. 

While you can get low amounts from eating seafood and red meat, supplementing with higher amounts has been shown to improve physical performance – and that’s why you’re seeing an increasing number of nutritionists on social media now recommending this supplement. 

But one of the biggest benefits for me is that it has been linked with speeding up muscle growth and helping offset sarcopenia which is the age-related decrease of muscle and also bone mass.

Curcumin

Another one of interest is Curcumin, the active compound found in turmeric. Two separate research reviews published in the last five years concluded that it does have an anti-inflammatory impact on the body. 

Rather than take it in supplement form, I use it in cooking regularly.

Lutein

Also of interest as we age is lutein, known as the eye vitamin. It’s a carotenoid related to beta-carotene and vitamin A – which is why people talk about carrots and eye health.  

Lutein could help prevent age-related macular degeneration, and it is included in the multivitamin that I take. Dietary lutein might help prevent cataracts, but research has yet to confirm whether supplements can have the same effect as food. 

That means a diet rich in fruits and vegetables should provide enough lutein for healthy adults. 

Collagen Peptides

Let’s also look at collagen peptides. This is a supplement I do take although admittedly I go through periods like now of not taking it, simply because I haven’t got around to ordering more supplies. 

But research suggests that collagen supplements, specifically collagen peptides, do help increase skin elasticity, hydration and thickness, whilst also helping improve symptoms of osteoarthritis and reduce overall joint pain. 

The majority of people, including me, don’t eat enough collagen foods, like the skin of poultry and fish, organ meats and bone broth. So that’s why I supplement on and off with a collegen peptide powder at a relatively low dose of just a few grams which has been shown to be effective.

Urolithin A

Another supplement we’re hearing more and more about is urolithin A which is made in the gut when we eat foods like almonds, walnuts and pomegranates because they are high in some particularly helpful polyphenols called ellagic acid. 

Premilinary research suggests it could improve gut and mitochondrial health as well as muscle function and could be particularly helpful as we age. 

But right now rather than taking a supplement I just ensure I include those foods pretty much daily in my diet both for the nutrients but also because crucially it’s dietary fibre that is so vital for gut health and, as we now know, a healthy gut microbiome that really helps our bodies, including our brain, muscle and skin to function best.  

Astaxanthin

We’re also increasingly hearing about a super antioxidant called astaxanthin which is found in certain algae and fish like salmon and trout. It’s linked with multiple health benefits but, again, for the time being, rather than adding in yet another supplement, I try to eat salmon twice a week. 

And that’s because is no better route through healthy aging than eating a diverse natural diet, cutting right back on the processed stuff, and sweetened drinks.

My view

Supplements can not make up for poor diet and sedentary lifestyle or heavy alcohol consumption and there are no quick fixes or health hacks if we’re not covering the basics. 

That said, I’ve seen through with my own parents in their 80s that select supplements have improved their energy levels, immune function, bone health and apparently decreased problems relating to inflammation including arthritis pain. 

But it’s also true to say that the relatives in my family who have lived into their 90s didn’t take any supplements, and stood out for maintaining a healthy weight, staying active and social and having a can-do, positive mindset.  

And as to whether biohackers who go to extremes to live longer actually end up giving themselves the edge over those people who just live healthy, active and happy lives, well that remains to be seen. 

And for me, my focus for taking supplements (alongside my diet and exercise routines) is to enhance my life right now and hopefully reduce my chance of age-related conditions like osteoporosis – while supporting my immune system, sleep, reducing inflammation and increasing my energy levels.