A daily multivitamin to boost memory? Here’s what you need to know

Millions of American adults take multivitamins daily, even though the pills haven’t been shown to prevent diseases like heart disease or cancer and experts say it’s best to get nutrients from food.

The latest research examines whether taking a daily vitamin can have an effect on memory. The study found that multivitamins can boost memory function in some people, by the equivalent of three years of normal age-related memory loss.

While the study isn’t comprehensive enough to warrant general recommendations on vitamin intake, it does provide important insights into their use, said Adam Brickman, a professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University who led the study. .

“Well-designed research studies show that there may indeed be some benefits” to taking multivitamins, he said.

Further study is needed to determine exactly which nutrients might make a difference.

Here’s what to know about new research published Wednesday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

ABOUT THE STUDY

Researchers from Columbia University in New York and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston followed more than 3,500 people over the age of 60 for three years.

Participants were randomly assigned to take a daily multivitamin or a dummy pill. They were assessed annually for three years with internet-based exams that measure memory function.

One test gave participants a list of 20 words, one at a time, for 3 seconds each, then asked them to type all the words they remembered immediately and after 15 minutes. The exam measured the function of the hippocampus, an area of ​​the brain that controls learning and memory, Brickman said.

After one year, participants who took vitamins daily had better memory function, going from correct recall of 7.10 words at baseline to 7.81 words. Participants who received dummy pills went from 7.21 words to 7.65 words. The researchers calculated that the difference equated to a memory improvement equal to about three years of normal age-related change. This improvement was maintained for at least the remaining two years of the study and was more pronounced in people with heart disease, according to the study.

Multivitamins may work by providing micronutrients that improve hippocampal function, Brickman said. This is the second large study conducted by researchers to show that memory improved in older people who took daily multivitamins.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health as well as Mars Edge, a division of Mars, which makes candy, pet food and other products; and Pfizer and Haleon, both makers of multivitamins.

ABOUT USING MULTIVITAMINS

About 60% of American adults and about 35% of children take vitamins daily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pills are part of the roughly $56 billion that Americans spend on dietary supplements each year.

The US Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans get their nutrients from food unless they have specific needs or a doctor advises them to take vitamins. health care supplier. Vitamins can provide nutrients missing from the diet, but taking large amounts can lead to side effects ranging from stomach upset to serious heart and liver problems.

The US Task Force on Preventive Services, a national advisory group, said last year that current evidence is “insufficient” to assess the risks and benefits of multivitamin supplements to prevent heart disease and cancer. The group recommended against beta-carotene and vitamin E for this purpose.

WHAT THIS MEANS

The new study shows vitamin pills can provide missing micronutrients, especially in the diets of older adults, said Robert Hackman, a nutrition researcher at the University of California, Davis, who was not involved in the study. research. About a third of adults over 60 fail to get enough vitamins, minerals and fiber from food alone.

Yet the Alzheimer’s Association does not recommend the use of multivitamins to reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults.

Most of the participants in the new study were white and college educated, with access and ability to take exams over the Internet, noted Heather Snyder, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association.

“It would be important to see independent confirmation of these findings, especially in more representative study populations,” she said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science and Education Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.