- In a new study, researchers say that taking a daily multivitamin appears to slow cognitive aging and improve memory in older adults.
- Experts explain that taking vitamins daily can improve a person’s overall health and gut microbiome, which can lead to improved cognitive performance.
- They add that further research is needed to confirm these findings and determine which specific vitamins are most effective.
Taking a daily multivitamin appears to improve both memory and overall cognition in older adults, according to a study published in the journal Today. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study was partially funded by food and supplement maker Mars and led by Chirag Vyas, an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Among them, researchers participated in a large study called the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), as well as a clinical study into a possible link between multivitamin supplements and cognitive benefits.573 Analyzed human data.
Researchers reported that people who took the multivitamin experienced a modest benefit in overall cognition over a two-year period compared to a control group who received a placebo.
The vitamin group also showed significant improvements in episodic memory, but not executive function or attention, the researchers said.
Vyas et al. also conducted a meta-analysis of three relevant studies extracted from COSMOS: a new clinical study and two previous studies that used telephone- and online-based cognitive assessments.
According to the study authors, this analysis showed “strong evidence” that there is an effect on both global cognition and episodic memory, and that taking a daily multivitamin reduced overall cognitive aging by 2% compared to a placebo. It is estimated that it will be delayed by a year.
“Cognitive decline is one of the greatest health concerns for most older adults, and daily multivitamin supplements are an attractive and accessible approach to slowing cognitive aging. It has potential,” Vyas said in a press statement. “A meta-analysis of three separate cognitive studies provides strong and consistent evidence that taking a daily multivitamin containing more than 20 essential micronutrients can help prevent memory loss and slow cognitive aging. To do.”
“These three studies used different approaches to assess cognitive function in COSMOS, each with a focus on nutritional status and nutrition status, as each provided daily multivitamin support. Understanding the mechanisms by which daily multivitamins protect against memory loss and cognitive decline is now important, says Howard, an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts and co-leader of the broader COSMOS study. Dr. Sesso said: “For example, the COSMOS cocoa extract intervention has been shown to alter the role that baseline nutritional status has in protecting against cognitive decline. Multivitamins contain many essential vitamins and minerals that may explain their potential benefits.
said Kelsey Costa, a registered dietitian who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news “Memory enhancement associated with multivitamin intake may result from resolving existing nutrient deficiencies.”
“Older adults may be at increased risk of cognitive decline, including memory loss, because they are deficient in essential nutrients. Vitamins are essential for a variety of cognitive functions, including memory generation and storage,” she says. added.
Dr. Jonathan Rasouli, a neurosurgeon at Staten Island University Hospital in New York who was not involved in the study, also believes there is a link between vitamins and cognitive health.
“In general, we know there is a link between nutrition and cognitive health. Both are linked through the health of our gut bacteria,” he said. Today’s medical news. “Theoretically, a healthy diet should lead to improved gut bacteria, which in turn leads to improved cognitive health. The opposite may be true for people with poor eating habits. More research is needed to definitively prove this link, but the old adage ‘you are what you eat’ is powerful advice.”
Regarding brain processes, “vitamins play an important role in supporting cognitive health through their involvement in a variety of biological pathways,” Vyas said. Today’s medical news. “Important processes include maintaining neural membranes, regulating neurotransmitter release, and protecting against oxidative stress.”
However, Vyas said researchers were unable to pinpoint exactly which specific vitamins in daily supplements had a positive effect on brain health, indicating that more research is needed. Ta.
said Dr. Yuko Hara, Director of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news Previous studies have shown that adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with improved memory, increased volume in brain regions important for memory function (such as the hippocampus), and lower levels of biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease. is shown.
“In general, clinical trials of individual vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin E have not been able to slow cognitive decline or improve cognitive function,” Professor Hara said. “The vitamins that play the biggest role in cognitive health can vary from person to person, and may depend on which vitamins you are deficient in. For many people, they already get sufficient levels from their diet. Sometimes supplementing with vitamins is unlikely to be beneficial and may even be harmful if taken in excess.
“There is now a large, prospective, long-term study showing that multivitamin and mineral supplementation in older adults may slow cognitive aging,” said Director of Scientific Programs and Outreach, Alzheimer’s Association. Claire Sexton, DPhil, Senior Director added: Not involved in the research. “Although there are multiple biological pathways that may link multivitamin intake and cognition, this study does not provide additional data on such mechanisms.”
Sexton said. Today’s medical news More research is needed before the Alzheimer’s Association is ready to recommend widespread use of multivitamin supplements to reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults.
“Independent confirmatory studies with larger, more diverse and representative study populations are needed,” she said.
He noted that in the COSMOS clinical study, less than 2% of non-white participants were in the multivitamin group and less than 5% were non-white in the placebo group.
Nevertheless, Vyas says, “Apart from the three COSMOS cognitive studies (COSMOS-Clinic, COSMOS-Mind, and COSMOS-Web), there is no study in the existing literature that has all these elements. A comprehensive multivitamin-mineral supplement containing at least 20 essential vitamins and minerals was tested during treatment follow-up with an evaluated intervention lasting more than 12 months. included [at least 500]”
