Three studies involving more than 5,000 participants found that taking a daily multivitamin may prevent forgetfulness in older adults.
Dr. Chirag Vyas, a research instructor at Massachusetts General Hospital, said three studies taken together found that taking a daily multivitamin slowed cognitive aging by about two years compared to a placebo.
This study is part of the COSMOS trial, a much larger study investigating whether daily multivitamins (in this case Centrum Silver), cocoa extract supplements, or both can prevent heart disease and cancer. This is a clinical trial.
Results from the third and final study were published Thursday in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In this study, 573 adults over the age of 60 took a daily multivitamin or a placebo for two years. The researchers directly assessed their cognitive function by administering a series of tests at the beginning and end of the study. Her two previous studies compared daily multivitamins to a placebo and used telephone or web-based tests to measure cognitive function.
Pfizer, which manufactures Centrum Silver, provided the multivitamin and placebo tablets used in the study. Mars, the candy and snack company, partially funded his extensive COSMOS trial. Neither company had any role in the design of the study.
Vyas, who led the third study, said these three studies conclusively show that taking a daily multivitamin has a modest effect on preventing normal age-related memory decline. said that it was done.
In all three meta-analyses, researchers found that daily multivitamin intake improved both overall cognition, such as reasoning, attention, and planning, as well as the ability to recall memories of daily life in healthy older adults. concluded that it would be beneficial to
However, it is unclear which vitamins and minerals in multivitamins have protective effects and how they exert their effects.
“Future research is needed to identify the specific micronutrients that contribute most to improved cognitive function,” Vyas said. She said additional studies that include more racial and ethnic diversity are also needed, since the majority of participants were white.
As people age, the membranes that surround neurons, or brain cells, begin to deteriorate. Vitamins may be able to prevent some of that deterioration, Vyas says.
Dr. Richard Caselli, professor emeritus of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, says the idea that vitamins alone can protect cognitive function in older adults is plausible, but there are some caveats based on relatively short-term research. He said that there is.
“The amount of cognitive change that occurs over three years in a healthy person without Alzheimer’s disease is quite small,” he says.
Dr. Caselli said he’s comfortable recommending a daily multivitamin to older patients, but doesn’t think it has a significant impact on cognitive function.
“I’m still a little skeptical about how much of an impact this will have,” he says. “I doubt that the difference will really be that big.”
Some patients are likely to benefit more than others, said Dr. Zaldi Tan, a geriatrician at Cedars-Sinai Jonah Goldrich Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center in Los Angeles.
“Certainly, some people who are deficient in vitamins in their diets may benefit from multivitamins overall, and potentially cognitively as well,” Tan said. said. “However, it is currently difficult to determine whether the multivitamin is responsible for the improvement or whether it is something else.”
Dr. Tan pointed out that deficiencies in certain vitamins, such as B12, A, and E, are associated with poorer cognitive function, although the evidence is not conclusive. Although some people with vitamin deficiencies may benefit from vitamin supplementation, it is unlikely that everyone will benefit.
Caselli said it’s important for people to take care of their overall health to prevent cognitive decline.
“As a general rule of thumb, everything that’s bad for your body is bad for your brain, and everything that’s good for your body is good for your brain,” he says.
Caselli said he encourages people to maintain a social life and stay mentally and physically active as they age. Common health conditions such as heart disease, sleep apnea and diabetes can also compromise brain health, he said. As for taking a daily multivitamin, she said you can take one if you’re concerned that you’re not getting enough vitamins and minerals from your diet.
“Taking a multivitamin supplement is probably good for you, but we don’t know if it will have much of an effect on people who eat a healthy diet,” Caselli says.
