Multivitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Healthy Aging

PBMC Respiratory Capacity by Oxymetry

Multivitamin and mineral supplementation may have an impact on blood cell bioenergetics. The high-resolution Oroboros Oxygraph 2k as well as high throughput Seahorse will be used to measure maximal oxidative phosphorylation (Max OXPHOS) in freshly prepared PBMCs. Max OXPHOS is the highest measured rate of mitochondrial ATP production and is measured in picomols of oxygen per time weight, or pmol/s\*mg. This measurement will be taken at baseline and after completion of the study supplementation.

Serum concentrations of dietary Vitamins B6 and E

Dietary nutrients will be measured from two study time points: baseline and study completion. Serum nutrient levels to be measured are Vitamins B6 and E are measured by automated analyzer and are reported in mg/L.

Serum concentrations of Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene

Dietary nutrients will be measured from two study time points: baseline and study completion. Serum nutrient levels to be measured are Vitamins c and Beta carotene and are measured by automated analyzer. These are reported in mg/Dl.

Serum concentrations of Vitamins D and B12

Dietary nutrients will be measured from two study time points: baseline and study completion. Serum nutrient levels to be measured are Vitamins D and B12 and are measured by automated analyzer. These are reported in pg/mL.

Measures of Grip Strength by hand-held dynamometer

Strength will be measured by hand grip in both hands using an adjustable grip strength dynamometer (BL5001 Hydraulic Hand Dynamometer). Participants will have a chance to familiarize themselves with the measurement by making a submaximal effort on both hands to feel how the instrument will react. For the assessment, the participant will stand and hold the dynamometer in their hand with their arm down at their side. The participant will be instructed to take a deep breath in and squeeze as hard as possible as they exhale. The measurement will be repeated twice on each hand, alternating between each side, and the highest score for each hand will be recorded to the nearest kg.

Changes in self-reported measures of Diet Quality

Computer adapted testing measure, Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ III), a general population dietary survey that queries food intake frequency and portion size. It is scored numerically from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better diet quality.

Cardiovascular Function

Submaximal Graded Exercise Test (GXT) on a treadmill will be conducted at EPARC under the supervision of a trained exercise physiologist. Participants will complete a walking protocol at a self-selected speed, with the treadmill incline increasing every two minutes to progressively increase cardiovascular demand. The test will continue until the participant reaches 85% of their age-predicted maximal heart rate (calculated as 220 bpm - age) or experiences volitional fatigue, whichever occurs first.

Physical Activity

Objective assessments of physical activity will be measured using the ActiGraph accelerometer , a lightweight instrument that is worn on the hip attached to a belt around the waist. Instructions will be provided, and a brief self-report wear time log for participants to note periods that the device was taken off. Participants will be asked to wear the ActiGraph for seven days and will be prompted twice via telephone during the monitoring period (wear days 2 and 5) to assist with compliance. Upon return, we will immediately download data outcome variables which include (i) mean minutes per day of sedentary time, (ii) mean minutes per day of light intensity physical activity, and (iii) minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA).