Multivitamins Aging vs Cocoa Extract: Small DNA Methylation Slowdown Revealed
Researchers led by Howard Sesso tested two interventions — a daily multivitamin and a cocoa extract — in 958 older adults to measure effects on cellular markers of ageing. This comparison asks which intervention altered DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks and whether any slowdown was broad or limited to specific measures and subgroups.
Multivitamins Aging effect in Howard Sesso’s trial on epigenetic clocks
The trial assigned participants with an average age near 70 into four groups and followed them for two years. Blood samples were analysed at baseline, one year, and two years for five measures of DNA methylation, or epigenetic clocks. Compared with the placebo-only group, those taking a daily multivitamin showed a measurable slowdown on two of the five clocks that estimate mortality risk. Aggregated across measures, researchers described the multivitamin group as biologically about four months younger over the 24-month period.
COSMOS cocoa extract in the same trial: no measurable effect on clocks
Participants who received the cocoa extract did not show slowed biological ageing on any of the five epigenetic clocks. The cocoa extract also did not interact with the multivitamin effect. That null result applied across the same blood-sampling schedule and analytic approach used to assess multivitamin impact.
Comparison in Brigham and Women’s Hospital subset: magnitude, clocks, and subgroups
Applying the same evaluative criteria—changes on five DNA-methylation clocks over two years—the multivitamin and cocoa extract diverged sharply. The multivitamin group registered modest slowing on two second-generation clocks tied to mortality risk: one clock slowed by about 1. 4 months and another by about 2. 6 months over the trial interval. For participants who began with accelerated biological ageing, the benefit doubled on one mortality-linked clock to roughly 2. 8 months. By contrast, cocoa extract produced no measurable slowing on any clock.
| Measure | Multivitamin effect | Cocoa extract effect |
|---|---|---|
| Overall biological ageing (24 months) | About 4 months less ageing | No effect |
| PCGrimAge (mortality-linked clock) | ~1. 4 months slower | No effect |
| PCPhenoAge (mortality-linked clock) | ~2. 6 months slower | No effect |
| Accelerated biological ageing subgroup | About double the PCGrimAge slowing (~2. 8 months) | No effect |
Still, the observed multivitamin signal was limited to two of five clocks and to a modest cumulative magnitude. Trial funding and pill sources were noted: the multivitamin was provided by a consumer-health company and the cocoa extract by a confectionery manufacturer, and authors disclosed funding links. Researchers cautioned that the epigenetic-clock changes do not directly equate to extended lifespan or clear clinical benefit.
That nuance matters for interpreting multivitamins aging results. The multivitamin produced a small, specific change on second-generation, mortality-linked clocks and a larger relative benefit in those already biologically older at baseline. Cocoa extract produced no measurable clock change across the same cohort and timeframe.
Finding: the direct comparison establishes that a daily multivitamin produced a modest but detectable slowing on select DNA methylation clocks over two years, while cocoa extract produced no change on those same measures. The next confirmed test will be further work to determine whether the modest multivitamin-linked epigenetic changes translate into meaningful clinical benefits. If multivitamin effects persist in subsequent studies and link to reduced disease or mortality risk, the comparison suggests the benefit will be modest and concentrated in older adults with baseline nutritional deficits.
