April 30, 2024

Slowing Cognitive Aging: Major Study Finds Daily Multivitamin Improves Memory in Older Adults

A study involving over 3,500 older grownups has found that day-to-day multivitamin supplementation can slow down age-related memory decrease. In the existing research study, more than 3,500 adults (primarily non-Hispanic white) over age 60 were randomly assigned to take an everyday multivitamin supplement or placebo for 3 years. The COSMOS-Web study is part of a big medical trial led by Brigham & & Womens Hospital and Harvard called the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS).
By the end of the very first year, memory enhanced for people taking a daily multivitamin, compared with those taking a placebo. The researchers approximate the improvement, which was sustained over the three-year research study duration, was equivalent to about 3 years of age-related memory decrease.

” Cognitive aging is a leading health concern for older adults, and this study suggests that there may be an easy, affordable way to help older adults decrease memory decline,” says research study leader Adam M. Brickman, PhD, teacher of neuropsychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Numerous older individuals take vitamins or dietary supplements under the assumption that they will help preserve general health. However research studies that have actually checked whether they enhance memory and brain function have actually been blended, and very few massive, randomized trials have actually been done.
Research study methods
In the existing research study, more than 3,500 adults (mainly non-Hispanic white) over age 60 were randomly designated to take an everyday multivitamin supplement or placebo for three years. At the end of each year, individuals carried out a series of online cognitive assessments in your home developed to check memory function of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is affected by typical aging. The COSMOS-Web study is part of a large medical trial led by Brigham & & Womens Hospital and Harvard called the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS).
By the end of the first year, memory enhanced for individuals taking a day-to-day multivitamin, compared to those taking a placebo. The scientists approximate the enhancement, which was sustained over the three-year study duration, was comparable to about 3 years of age-related memory decline. The effect was more noticable in individuals with underlying heart disease.
The outcomes of the brand-new research study follow another recent COSMOS study of more than 2,200 older grownups that found that taking a daily multivitamin enhanced general cognition, memory recall, and attention, results that were also more pronounced in those with underlying cardiovascular disease.
” There is evidence that individuals with heart disease might have lower micronutrient levels that multivitamins may fix, but we do not truly understand today why the result is more powerful in this group,” says Brickman.
Great nutrition crucial for aging brain
The scientists did not look at whether any particular component of the multivitamin supplement was linked to the enhancement in memory, the findings support growing evidence that nutrition is important for optimizing brain health as we age.
” Our research study shows that the aging brain may be more sensitive to nutrition than we understood, though it may not be so essential to learn which specific nutrient assists slow age-related cognitive decrease,” states Lok-Kin Yeung, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Columbias Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimers Disease and the Aging Brain and first author of the research study.
” The finding that an everyday multivitamin enhanced memory in 2 separate cognition research studies in the COSMOS randomized trial is remarkable, recommending that multivitamin supplementation holds guarantee as a safe, accessible, and inexpensive method to securing cognitive health in older grownups,” states co-author JoAnn Manson, MD, chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital.
” Supplementation of any kind should not replace more holistic ways of getting the very same micronutrients,” adds Brickman. “Though multivitamins are normally safe, individuals need to always speak with a physician before taking them.”
Referral: “Multivitamin supplementation enhances memory in older grownups: A randomized clinical trial” by Lok-Kin Yeung, Daniel M. Alschuler, Melanie Wall, Heike Luttmann-Gibson, Trisha Copeland, Christiane Hale, Richard P. Sloan, Howard D. Sesso, JoAnn E. Manson and Adam M. Brickman, 24 May 2023, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.DOI: 10.1016/ j.ajcnut.2023.05.011.
Authors: Lok-Kin Yeung (Columbia), Daniel M. Alschuler (New York State Psychiatric Institute), Melanie Wall (Columbia), Heike Luttman-Gibson (Brigham and Womens Hospital/Harvard), Trisha Copeland (Brigham and Womens/ Harvard), Richard P. Sloan (Columbia), Howard D. Sesso (Brigham and Womens/ Harvard), JoAnn E. Manson (Brigham and Womens/ Harvard), and Adam M. Brickman (Columbia).
Dr. Manson and Dr. Sesso are co-leaders of the parent COSMOS trial.
The research study was supported by grants from Mars Edge, a sector of Mars Inc., and the National Institutes of Health (AG050657, HL157665, ag071611, and ey025623).
Multivitamins were provided by Pfizer. Dr. Sesso reported receiving investigator-initiated grants from Pure Encapsulations and Pfizer and/or take a trip funds for lectures from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, BASF, NIH, and the American Society of Nutrition throughout the study.

A study involving over 3,500 older grownups has actually discovered that daily multivitamin supplementation can slow down age-related memory decrease. The result was especially strong amongst those with cardiovascular conditions. The research study stresses the value of great nutrition for brain health in aging, although supplements should not replace a well balanced diet plan and medical recommendations ought to be sought before starting a routine.
Taking a day-to-day multivitamin may assist slow age-related memory decline, a study has actually found.
Over 3,500 adults aged 60 and above gotten involved in the study, taking either a day-to-day multivitamin or a placebo for 3 years. The outcomes revealed that those on multivitamins experienced memory enhancement equivalent to about 3 years of age-related memory decrease.
Taking a daily multivitamin supplement can slow age-related memory decrease, finds a big research study led by scientists at Columbia University and Brigham and Womens Hospital/Harvard.