Short answer
None has been shown to. The National Institute on Aging says there is often little, if any, science behind claims that supplements help you live longer. In large US studies, multivitamins, vitamin D and fish oil did not lower death rates. The compounds that extended life most consistently in government mouse tests are prescription drugs, and several popular supplements failed.
What the government's aging institute says
The National Institute on Aging, part of the NIH, puts it plainly on its supplements page. Some ads promise that supplements will make you feel better, keep you from getting sick, or even help you live longer, and often there is little, if any, science supporting these claims.
NIA also notes that dietary supplements do not have to be approved by the FDA for safety or efficacy before they are sold. A product being on the shelf does not mean it does what the label says.
What large human studies found
A 2024 analysis in JAMA Network Open followed 390,124 healthy US adults for up to 27 years. Daily multivitamin use was not associated with a lower risk of death.
VITAL, a randomized trial in 25,871 US adults, tested vitamin D (2,000 IU a day) and fish oil (1 gram a day) for a median of 5.3 years. Neither lowered major cardiovascular events, cancer, or death from any cause. One brighter result: in COSMOS-Web, a trial of 3,562 older adults, a daily multivitamin modestly improved a memory test score versus placebo. That is a memory finding, not evidence of slower aging.
What worked in mice, and what did not
The NIA's Interventions Testing Program tests compounds for life span in mice at three sites and publishes the failures too. Rapamycin and acarbose, both prescription drugs, extended life span in male and female mice.
Popular supplements did worse. Nicotinamide riboside, resveratrol, curcumin, green tea extract, fish oil and fisetin are each listed with no increase in life span. Glycine did show an increase in mice. A mouse result, good or bad, does not tell you what happens in people, and none of this is a reason to seek out prescription drugs for aging.
What has stronger evidence
NIA's own closing advice on that page is not a pill: a healthy diet, being physically active, keeping your mind active, not smoking, and seeing your doctor regularly.
Supplements still have a place when you are low in something. NIA lists calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 as nutrients people over 50 may need more of, and says your doctor or a dietitian can tell you whether you need one. That is fixing a shortfall, which is different from slowing aging.
Related questions
Does nicotinamide riboside (NR) slow aging?
Not in the NIA mouse program: nicotinamide riboside did not significantly increase life span in male or female mice at the dose tested.
Does resveratrol extend life?
It did not in NIA's mouse testing. Resveratrol had no significant effect on survival in male or female mice at the doses tested.
Is a daily multivitamin worth taking?
In a 2024 analysis of 390,124 US adults, daily use was not linked to living longer. One trial found a modest memory benefit in older adults. Ask your doctor whether you have a gap to fill.
Read next
Sources
- National Institute on Aging (NIH): Dietary Supplements for Older Adults
- National Institute on Aging: Interventions Testing Program, Supported Interventions (page updated 2026)
- Loftfield et al., JAMA Network Open: Multivitamin use and mortality risk in 3 prospective US cohorts (2024)
- Manson et al., NEJM: VITAL, vitamin D supplements and prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease (2019)
- Yeung et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: COSMOS-Web, multivitamin supplementation and memory (2023)
Published 2026-10-04 · Last checked 2026-10-04
Educational content, not medical advice. Made for the United States.