New research conducted by Mass General Brigham suggests that long-term multivitamin supplementation may reduce the risk of hypertension and lower blood pressure in certain groups of older adults. This study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, reveals that while overall effects were not significant, specific improvements were noted among participants with lower dietary quality and normal blood pressure at the start of the study.
The findings emerge from a secondary analysis of data from the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a comprehensive clinical trial investigating the health impacts of cocoa extract and multivitamin supplementation in older adults across the United States. The study involved 8,905 participants who were initially free of hypertension and were randomly assigned to receive either a daily multivitamin or a placebo over a median period of 3.4 years.
Insights from the COSMOS Study
According to the study’s corresponding author, Dr. Rikuta Hamaya, “Nutrition is one of the cornerstones for controlling blood pressure and hypertension. We found that a daily multivitamin might be useful for reducing the risk of hypertension in people with poorer nutritional intake.”
Dr. Howard Sesso, senior author of the study, further emphasized, “Our findings suggest that a daily multivitamin may not be a one-size-fits-all solution for controlling blood pressure but could be beneficial for important subsets of older adults.”
The COSMOS study meticulously analyzed blood pressure changes over two years in two groups of participants—one group of 529 participants had their blood pressure measured in a clinic, while another group of 994 participants conducted home measurements. The results indicated no significant differences in self-reported hypertension between the multivitamin and placebo groups overall. However, participants with lower diet quality, as assessed by the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED) scores, experienced a reduction in hypertension risk.
“In participants with normal BP at baseline, taking a daily multivitamin resulted in small, significant reductions in BP measurements over two years.”
Broader Implications and Future Research
The implications of these findings could be significant for public health, particularly for older adults with suboptimal dietary habits. The authors of the study advocate for further research to explore the effects of multivitamins on younger and middle-aged adults, as well as across diverse populations with varying nutritional statuses.
Dr. Sesso and Dr. Hamaya’s team included several other prominent researchers from Mass General Brigham, such as Sidong Li, Jessica Lau, Pamela M. Rist, and JoAnn E. Manson. The study also involved contributions from external experts like Susanne Rautiainen, Bernhard Haring, Simin Liu, Aladdin H. Shadyab, Lisa Warsinger Martin, and Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller.
Funding and Disclosures
The COSMOS study was supported by an investigator-initiated grant from Mars Edge, a division of Mars Incorporated focused on nutrition research, which provided infrastructure support and study materials. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, now Haleon, also contributed to the provision of study pills and packaging. The study received additional support from the National Institutes of Health through multiple grants.
Regarding potential conflicts of interest, Dr. Sesso and Dr. Manson disclosed receiving grants from Mars Edge and Haleon, as well as honoraria and travel support for lectures from various organizations during the study. Other authors reported no conflicts related to this research.
The study’s publication, titled “Long-term effect of multivitamin supplementation on incident self-reported hypertension and blood pressure changes in the COSMOS trial,” can be accessed in the American Journal of Hypertension with the DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpaf224.
As the scientific community continues to explore the potential health benefits of multivitamins, this study underscores the importance of personalized nutrition strategies, particularly for aging populations. Future research may further illuminate how multivitamins can be effectively utilized to promote cardiovascular health across diverse demographic groups.
