Large-Scale Human Study Shows an Association Between Vitamin Intake and Slower Aging

Highlights

• Higher vitamin intake was significantly associated with reduced biological aging.
• Among assessments of 11 vitamins, vitamin C stood out as the primary protective vitamin.
• Additional analyses revealed stronger associations between vitamin intake and slower aging in males and current alcohol drinkers.

As published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging, Cheng and colleagues from West China Second University Hospital present data showing an association between higher vitamin intake and reduced biological aging. Biological age is a measure of the functional age of cells, tissues, and organs. Among 11 vitamins analyzed in the study, vitamin C was most strongly associated with protective effects against biological aging. Moreover, the associated protective effects of vitamins against aging were stronger in males and individuals who consume alcohol. These findings, although not demonstrating causation, add support to the notion that consuming vitamins, through supplementation or dietary means, may promote optimal aging.

“Our findings from the NHANES cohort demonstrated that higher intake of a dietary vitamin mixture was significantly associated with decelerated biological aging,” say Cheng and colleagues in their publication. “These results strengthen the evidence for dietary recommendations promoting vitamin-rich diets for healthy aging.”

Potential Effects of Vitamin Intake Against Aging

Aging is characterized by degenerative changes to the body as one grows older. Genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors have varying effects on aging, resulting in differential rates of aging among individuals. In the context of these varying paces of aging, biological age can offer a more accurate way of gauging the pace of aging than someone’s age in years (chronological age). Accordingly, Cheng and colleagues used three methods to assess biological age among participants in a study of 15,050 participants, called the NHANES 2007-2018.

Additionally, because nutritional factors, such as vitamin intake, have garnered interest for their potential to slow biological aging, Cheng and colleagues sought to find an association between consuming vitamins and reduced biological age. To date, the overall effect of vitamin intake on biological age remains incompletely understood. Thus, to unravel whether an association between vitamin intake and reduced biological age exists, the researchers compared biological age scores to intake levels of 11 vitamins in the participants.

Higher Vitamin Intake Is Associated with Slower Biological Aging

In their evaluation, Cheng and colleagues divided the participants into four groups. These groups, quartiles 1 through 4, were assigned based on the quantity of vitamins consumed through supplementation or diet. Cheng and colleagues divided participants into the four quartiles after averaging their recalled vitamin intakes across two days. As such, quartile 1 had the lowest average amount of vitamins consumed, which increased incrementally by quartile group to quartile 4, which had participants with the highest average amount of vitamins consumed.

Cheng and colleagues’ assessments of biological age, based on three separate models, showed a significant association between reduced biological aging and higher total vitamin intake in two of the three models used. The third method used to measure biological age showed a non-significant statistical trend toward reduced biological aging. These data suggest that a higher intake of vitamins is associated with reduced biological aging.

To unravel whether certain vitamins of the 11 analyzed may protect against aging better than the others, the researchers ran an analysis of which vitamins have the strongest association with reduced biological aging across the three biological age measurements. Interestingly, for one of the biological age measurement methods used, vitamins B9, B12, and C were significantly associated with lower biological aging. With another method, all vitamins were significantly associated with lower biological aging. Meanwhile, for the third method used, vitamins B3, C, and E were significantly associated with reduced biological aging. These findings suggest that vitamin C, since it was most strongly associated with lower biological aging in all three biological age assessments, may be associated with protective effects against aging more than others.

Using the same method, Cheng and colleagues sought to find whether any vitamins were associated with biological age acceleration. According to their analysis, vitamins B12 and D exhibited negative effects on biological aging when averaged across the three models of biological aging, suggesting that they may accelerate biological aging. These results show that vitamins B12 and D, especially when consumed in higher quantities, are associated with increased biological aging.

To analyze what groups of people may reap associated effects against aging from vitamin intake, Cheng and colleagues ran further statistical analyses, splitting participants into different demographic subgroups. In doing so, they ran an assessment of the associated effects of total vitamin intake in the subgroups. They found that higher total vitamin intake was more strongly associated with reduced biological aging in males and participants who drink alcohol. These findings show a stronger association between higher vitamin intake and slower biological aging in males and people who drink alcohol.

As a potential explanation for why higher vitamin intake was associated with lower biological aging in males and participants who drink alcohol, the researchers posited that vitamins may alleviate, to some degree, age-related physiological stress and inflammation in these populations. Along these lines, some research suggests that males generally exhibit higher levels of chronic metabolic inflammation associated with aging. Moreover, other research suggests that alcohol consumption can contribute to systemic inflammation. To corroborate their findings, the researchers also cited articles that demonstrate higher vitamin intake confers physiological benefits in these groups.

Future Human Trials Should Attempt to Assess the Potential Causation of Vitamin Intake Against Aging

Some limitations exist in Cheng and colleagues’ study. Namely, the association between higher vitamin intake and reduced biological aging does not show causation. To analyze any potential causative effects of vitamin intake on reduced biological aging, future human trials should split participants into groups, one receiving vitamins and the other receiving a placebo. Results from this kind of human trial could help establish a better idea of whether vitamin intake causatively influences biological aging.

Another limitation is that participants in quantile 4, who consumed the highest average amounts of vitamins, also had higher average socioeconomic status and healthier lifestyle habits. Thus, aside from consuming higher quantities of vitamins, people in this group could have also had less stress, known to have a strong association with accelerated biological aging, from higher socioeconomic status. Moreover, other beneficial lifestyle habits these participants utilize could have contributed to their associated reduced biological aging, compared to participants from other groups. Collectively, the socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with participants in quantile 4 may have contributed to reduced biological aging, making it difficult to discern what effects vitamins had in the study.