Multivitamins may help slow memory loss in older adults, study finds

This was the second multivitamin clinical study of its kind in the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcome Study (COSMOS) — more research examining the health effects of certain dietary supplements — to come to the same conclusion.

The most recent study found that those taking multivitamins had about 3.1 fewer years of memory loss compared to a control group taking a placebo. In other words, the multivitamin group was about 3.1 years “younger” in terms of memory function than the placebo group.

“Older people are very concerned about the preservation of cognition and memory, so this is a very important finding,” said JoAnn Mansonchief of Brigham’s Division of Preventive Medicine and co-lead of the study with howard sex, associate director of the division. “They are looking for safe and effective prevention strategies. The fact that two separate studies came to similar conclusions is remarkable. »

Manson, also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, described the effect of the supplements as “substantial”.

She stressed, however, that a dietary supplement “will never replace a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.”

The study used a commonly available multivitamin – Centrum Silver – but “we think any high-quality multivitamin is likely to show similar results,” Manson said. Centrum Silver contains vitamins D, A and B12, thiamin, riboflavin and manganese, among other substances.

Manson and Sesso reported grants to their Mars Edge institution, which is a unit of the Mars food company, and which focuses on nutrition research and produces the CocoaVia dietary supplement. Several of the 10 research authors also reported financial support from the National Institutes of Health.

Mars Edge and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon), maker of Centrum Silver, donated the multivitamins and placebo tablets and wrappers. COSMOS is also supported by NIH grants.

Sesso also reported grants from supplement company, Pure Encapsulations, and biopharmaceutical company, Pfizer; and honoraria or travel support for conferences of the trade group for the dietary supplement industry, Council for Responsible Nutrition; chemical company, BASF; NIH; and a group that focuses on nutrition research, American Society for Nutrition.

Multivitamins are already popular with older Americans; 39% of adults aged 60 and over take a multivitamin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. sales of multivitamins and multivitamins with minerals totaled approximately $8 billion in 2020according to the NIH.

Memory effect of multivitamins lasted for three years

The latest trial included more than 3,500 participants aged 60 and over who completed online memory and cognition assessments every year over three years. The tasks consisted of recalling words and recognizing new objects, as well as a measure of executive control.

Compared to the placebo group, participants randomized to receive multivitamin supplementation performed significantly better on immediate word recall after one year and maintained this benefit for two additional years of follow-up, according to the study.

Multivitamin use, however, “did not significantly affect memory retention, executive function, or novel object recognition” compared to placebo use, the study showed. study.

Findings that using multivitamins can help with memory and cognition are particularly important because the brain, like all other organs in the body, needs nutrients for optimal functioning and can suffer cognitively without them, said brain health experts.

“This study is groundbreaking,” said Andrew Budson, professor of neurology at Boston University and chief of cognitive-behavioral neurology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, who was not involved in the research.

Low levels of vitamins B1 – also known as thiamin – B12 and D are associated with cognitive decline, he said. “That a simple multivitamin could slow cognitive decline as they age normally is pretty exciting, because it’s something almost anyone can do,” Budson said.

Paul E. Schulz, professor of neurology and director of the Neurocognitive Disorders Center at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, said the brain needs lots of vitamins and minerals to function properly. “Think of a complicated engine that needs a lot of specialized parts and needs them all,” said Schulz, who was also not part of the study. “We regularly see people who are deficient who arrive with cognitive impairment.”

Slowing cognitive aging

The previous study, conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, appeared in the fall in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. He found a 60% slowing of cognitive aging in those who took multivitamins compared to the placebo group.

The two studies were independent of each other and had different designs. But, significantly, the two were placebo-controlled randomized clinical trialsthe “gold standard” of research for determining the effectiveness of a drug or medical treatment – directly linking cause and effect.

“That’s probably the best evidence there is for taking a multivitamin,” said Donald Henrud, a nutrition specialist at the Mayo Clinic, who was not involved in the research. “A randomized, controlled trial – a good study.”

Curiously, both studies suggest that the participants who experienced the greatest benefits may be those with a history of cardiovascular disease, the researchers said.

“It’s very intriguing because this same finding was replicated in two studies, with different designs and no overlapping participants,” Manson said, speculating that people with heart disease may have lower nutritional status at first. of the study. “They may have started from a lower threshold, so the improvements may have been more easily detectable,” she said.

In the overall COSMOS trial, which includes different studies, there were lower rates of stomach pain, diarrhea, rash, and bruising as side effects with multivitamin use compared to placebo, but an increased rate of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Future Multivitamin Research

The study population included people of different races, ethnicities, education levels, socioeconomic status and household income. “However, as is the case with volunteers in all randomized clinical trials, participants tended to be slightly more educated, had slightly higher socioeconomic status, and had less diversity than a representative sample of American adults in those age groups,” Manson said. .

The researchers said future studies should explore whether the findings would be applicable to even more diverse participants, including those with lower levels of education and socioeconomic status, as the “benefits may prove to be even greater.” important in low-income and lower-quality populations”. diets,” Manson said.

Additional studies should also attempt to identify which nutrients provide the most benefit, as well as the specific mechanisms involved, the researchers said.

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