Study finds that taking a multivitamin daily improves memory in older people

The study showed that the effects of a daily multivitamin on memory were stronger in people with the following conditions: cardiovascular diseasethe researchers discovered.

These people had poorer memory when the study started, but after taking multivitamins for a year, their memory was similar to people without heart disease.

This suggests that multivitamins fill nutrient deficiencies in people’s diets, the authors say.other research found that some people with cardiovascular disease may be deficient in certain micronutrients.

The results show an average change, so some people who took a daily multivitamin saw a significant improvement in memory, while others did not.

Daily multivitamins do not appear to improve other types of brain function, such as memory retention, new object recognition, and executive function (the ability to plan, focus, and manage multiple tasks).

One of the limitations of this study is that the majority of participants were Caucasian and highly educated. Therefore, the results may not apply to other groups.

“It would be more reassuring if these results were replicated in a more generalizable cohort.” Mark A. EsperandPh.D., professor of gerontology and geriatrics at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told Healthline.

The study authors noted that the memory improvement experienced by the multivitamin group was so small that people may not notice it.

However, “even small effect sizes can have large health benefits at the population level,” the researchers wrote. They added that daily multivitamins are relatively inexpensive and likely available to most people.

Esperand said the results were in line with findings from another COSMOS study. study’ will be published in 2022, and he was also involved.

In that study, which involved more than 2,200 older adults, he and his colleagues found that those who took multivitamins daily saw improvements in overall cognition, memory, and executive function.

As with the new study, the effect was stronger in people with cardiovascular disease. dementia risk factors.

Separately paper From the COSMOS study published earlier this year, Esperand and colleagues also found that daily multivitamins appeared to help people who developed dementia during the study.

“Among people who transitioned from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, the proportion was reduced if multivitamins were used.” [in overall cognition and executive function] It seemed to go down,” he told Healthline.

“This may indicate that these multivitamins may also benefit people with conditions such as: [cognitive] I’m sick,” he added.

Dr. Esperand cautions that additional research is needed before making a broad recommendation for daily multivitamins, especially in older adults. research No benefits were found for cognitive outcomes of daily multivitamins.

Many factors affect memory and other cognitive abilities. Food is the key.

In the new study, researchers first assessed people’s eating patterns — both groups were similar. average american diet. As a result, we do not believe that diet influenced the average memory changes seen in either group.

Several clinical trials have shown that dietary interventions improve memory. for example, mind dietDeveloped by researchers at RUSH University. linked Improve the cognitive ability of the elderly.

This diet is a hybrid of: mediterranean sea and dash (diet to stop high blood pressure) diet.

Professor Holland said he expected dietary interventions such as the MIND Diet to have a greater impact on cognition than multivitamins. But there may still be a role for taking daily pills, especially given the high prices of fresh fish, berries and other nutrient-rich foods, he added.

“Multivitamins don’t give you the same amount and quality of vitamins and minerals as a wide nutritious diet,” he said. [micronutrient] defect. ”

Plus, “if you’re not going to change your diet, supplementing isn’t a bad idea,” he said.

He also stressed that a healthy diet is just one way to reduce the risk of age-related cognitive problems. “Physical activity, sociability, cognitive activity, and the amount and quality of sleep” are also important, he said.

A new study shows that the short-term cognitive benefits of taking a daily multivitamin are modest, with heart disease subjects who took the vitamin daily showing the greatest improvement in memory. .

More rigorous research is needed to determine whether multivitamin use affects long-term cognitive function.

Multivitamins may provide general health benefits when taken in combination with healthy foods. balanced diet.

When considering multivitamins, keep in mind that dietary supplements are not approved by the US government. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) For safety or efficacy. Ask your health care team if a daily multivitamin should be added to your wellness regimen to determine if it’s right for you.