Can multivitamins help with memory loss? Researchers have said they found more evidence pointing to its beneficial effects. A recent study suggests that daily supplementation of multivitamins could slow cognitive decline in older adults by around two years.
The findings of the study published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition are based on a meta-analysis of three cognitive studies within the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) and a clinical trial involving a group of 573 participants within the COSMOS study.
COSMOS is a large-scale, nationwide, randomized trial involving more than 5,000 participants that tests the impact of cocoa extract and multivitamin supplements on the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other important health outcomes.
The researchers noted that participants in the clinical trial who were on daily multivitamin supplementation showed a statistically significant beneficial effect on episodic memory compared to those who took a placebo. Episodic memory refers to the ability of a person to learn, store and retrieve information about unique personal experiences in their daily life.
The results of the three cognitive sub-studies showed beneficial effects on global cognition and episodic memory. Global cognition involves various aspects such as orientation, attention, memory, verbal fluency, language and visuospatial ability.
"Cognitive decline is among the top health concerns for most older adults, and a daily supplement of multivitamins has the potential as an appealing and accessible approach to slow cognitive aging," said first author Chirag Vyas.
"The meta-analysis of three separate cognition studies provides strong and consistent evidence that taking a daily multivitamin, containing more than 20 essential micronutrients, helps prevent memory loss and slow down cognitive aging," Vyas said.
However, the study did not identify the specific vitamins and minerals responsible for slowing down cognitive decline. "Future studies are necessary to identify the specific micronutrients contributing most to the cognitive benefits," Vyas added.
Earlier research has shown that the deficiency in vitamins such as B12, A and E, is linked to deteriorating cognitive health. However, it is important to note that not all cognitive decline can be attributed to vitamin deficiency.
"Certainly a subset of people who are vitamin-deficient in their diets could benefit in general from a multivitamin and potentially from a cognitive standpoint. But it's hard to say right now if it's the multivitamin causing the improvement or something else," Dr. Zaldy Tan, geriatric medicine physician at the Cedars Sinai Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders in Los Angeles, told NBC News.
