If you’ve got a multivitamin bottle gathering dust in the cabinet because you weren’t sure it was doing anything, new research out of Augusta University gives you a reason to actually take the thing.
Researchers presented findings from a secondary analysis of the COSMOS* trial, one of the largest studies of its kind, at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, this year. More than 16,000 adults age 60 and older who took a daily multivitamin for three years reported significantly better functional health than those given a placebo.
Translation: more ability to do the everyday things that allow you to live independently.
- Getting dressed.
- Getting to the stairs.
- Bringing in the groceries without stopping halfway up the drive.
Smart Senior Daily Staff
What They Actually Studied
In the COSMOS trial, men 60 and older and women 65 and older were randomly assigned to take a daily multivitamin, a cocoa extract supplement, both, or neither, with placebos handed out to whoever wasn't getting the real thing in a given category.
Here’s the part that’s worth slowing down for: In this study, they measured functional health with something called the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (aka KCCQ), a tool developed to track heart-failure symptoms, not a general mobility or independence scale.
When you read headlines about multivitamins boosting “functional health,” what they really mean is that people are reporting less fatigue, less shortness of breath, and finding it easier to do physical tasks, all assessed through a cardiovascular-symptom lens. The key takeaway is that while the result is meaningful, it is more limited than the phrase suggests.
The biggest improvements were in symptom burden* and what researchers call the clinical summary score, a combination of symptom burden and physical ability.
"Symptom burden" just means how much the symptoms are dragging someone down day to day. Things like feeling tired, out of breath, or achy, and how much that stuff gets in the way of normal life. Low symptom burden: you barely notice. High symptom burden: it's slowing you down, like having to stop and catch your breath on the stairs.""Multivitamin use supporting heart health and overall physical function may help maintain the ability to perform everyday activities such as dressing, bathing, walking, climbing stairs, jogging or hurrying, and completing household chores," said Bayu B. Bekele, PhD, at the Georgia Prevention Institute of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, who led the analysis.
"These benefits may be particularly relevant for individuals experiencing fatigue, shortness of breath or swelling in the feet, which can limit daily functioning."
Who Benefited Most
The effect wasn't uniform across everybody in the study. According to Bekele, the improvements were strongest in people who already had cardiovascular conditions, particularly carotid stenosis, a narrowing of the arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain.
In that subgroup, the improvements reached what researchers considered clinically meaningful levels, not just a number that moved slightly on a chart.
The fine print before you start loading up on supplements: This is early research that hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, so treat it as promising, not proven.
Gary P Guthrie
Should You Start Taking One?
If you're already taking a daily multivitamin, this is a reason to keep going. If you're not, it's a low-risk, low-cost thing to bring up with your doctor, especially if you have an existing cardiovascular condition, since that's where the benefit looked strongest.
What it isn't is a substitute for the basics. Eating well and staying active still do more heavy lifting for your health than anything in a capsule. Think of a multivitamin as a supporting player here, not the star.
As always, check with your doctor before adding any new supplement, particularly if you're on medications that could interact with it.
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