According to findings published in Geroscience, about one in 10 Chinese centenarians used dietary supplements.
The prevalence was higher in men, with 12.3% of male centenarians taking health supplements, as compared to 10.7% among females.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Academy for Healthy Longevity under the National University of Singapore and Department of Exercise Science and Recreation at CUNY Lehman College in the US.
The research assessed data on dietary supplement usage based on a questionnaire given out during t he 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS).
The survey is a large-scale examination of the health and longevity of adults over 65 years old in China.
Of the 15,874 participants, there were 2,877 centenarians — including 2,169 females and 708 males — which were examined for this research. Their median age was 102.2 ± 2.6 years old for females and 101.8 ± 2.2 years old for males.
Among them, 10.7% females (232) and 12.3 males (87) used supplements. Most consumed a single supplement (7.3–8.8%), followed by two supplements (1.7–2.0%). Less than 1% consumed three or more supplements.
Calcium was the most consumed supplements, with the prevalence of use at 6.5% for female and 7.3% among male centenarians.
Both female and male centenarians took calcium supplements for a median duration of five years, with 3.7% females and 3.8% males saying that they took it “often”.
Another 0.9% females and 0.6% males said they took it “sometimes” and 1.8% females and 2.8% males said they “seldom” took calcium supplements.
Protein was the next most consumed supplement, with 3.7% females and 5.8% males said they have used it. The median duration of usage was five years for females and four years for males, with 2.3% females and 4.1% men saying they took it “often”.
Multivitamins were the third most used supplement among the centenarians, with 3% males and 2.8% females using multivitamins across a median period of five years.
Reasons to be determined
Reasons for calcium and protein supplementation among the centenarians were unclear, the researchers said, as the CLHLS survey did not collect information on this.
Nonetheless, the researchers cited data from the US where older adults commonly take calcium supplements for bone health, which could possibly be a reason among the China centenarians.
“Data from the United States indicate that older adults commonly take calcium supplements for “bone health” and multivitamins to “improve overall health”.
“These two supplements were also among the most frequently used in this analysis, possibly due to similar motivations.
“However, because the CLHLS did not collect information on participants’ reasons for supplement use, future research should incorporate questions about motivations and specific purposes for using dietary supplements,” said the researchers.
Based on past reports, companies such as Haleon has reported a stronger demand for calcium supplements in China as compared to other regions. In particular, calcium absorption benefit claims have resonated strongly with China consumers.
China’s homegrown supplement giant, BYHEALTH, on the other hand, has protein powder as its bestseller across the country. Especially since COVID-19, protein supplementation became popular in China for its purported immune health benefits.
On the other hand, based on the survey findings, some centenarians only started taking dietary supplements after they turned 100 instead of throughout their older adult life.
This could be due to advice from caregivers or indicate the centenarians’ evolving opinions on the benefits of taking supplements.
“These data highlight that the participants did not necessarily consume dietary supplements throughout their older adult life.
“Accordingly, this raises important questions about the motivations behind starting supplement use at such an advanced age; whether due to a recent health diagnosis, advice from caregivers or healthcare providers, changes in perceived nutritional needs and/or evolving opinions about the risks and benefits of dietary supplementation,” said the researchers.
DHA the least used
According to the survey findings, DHA was the least used supplement among the centenarians.
Only 0.4% out of the 232 female and 0.7% out of the 87 male centenarians had used DHA before.
In addition, the median years of taking DHA was longer at 7.5 years for men and two years for women.
Iron, zinc, vitamin A, D were the other supplements included in the survey.
Vitamin A, D had a greater prevalence of use as compared to iron and zinc.
For vitamin A and D for instance, the rate of use was 1.9% for females and 2.1% for males — with a median duration of use at five years and six years respectively.
For both iron and zinc, the prevalence of use was 1.2% and median duration of three years for females.
Amongst men, the prevalence of iron supplementation was 1.4% and 1.3% for zinc, both had a median duration of use of 10 years.
Clearer definitions for frequency of use needed
On the other hand, the researchers acknowledged that clearer definitions for frequency of use would be needed.
The survey had categorized the frequency of supplements use as “seldom”, “sometimes”, or “often” without clear definitions, leaving it up to individuals’ interpretations.
“These categories might have different interpretations between individuals, and therefore these responses could be expanded to more specific information such as “taken multiple times per day”, “taken once per day”, “taken 1–7 days per week”.
“Such data would provide more specific insights into the frequency of use. The survey did not include questions about lifetime supplement use, limiting the ability to draw conclusions about long-term effects,” they said.
In addition, due to the study’s descriptive analysis, the findings cannot be used to determine the direct impact of dietary supplementation on longevity.
“It is unclear whether supplement use contributed in any meaningful way to the participants’ extended lifespan, or whether it was simply a coincidental behavior adopted in life.
“Individuals who are exceptionally long-lived may be more inclined to adopt health-promoting behaviors, such as taking supplements, rather than such behaviors being a driver of their longevity.
“The impact of dietary supplements on health outcomes and lifespan in centenarian populations should be further explored in longitudinal studies,” said the researchers.
Source: Nutrients, 2025 ; doi: s11357-025-01782-8, “Dietary supplement use in longevity: evidence from 2,877 centenarians”, Authors: Grgic, J. et al.
