A groundbreaking study led by researchers at Columbia University and Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard has revealed that taking a daily multivitamin supplement can help slow down age-related memory decline. This discovery offers hope for older adults who are concerned about cognitive aging.
The research team, led by Professor Adam M. Brickman from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, noted that cognitive aging is a significant health concern for older individuals. This study suggests that a simple and affordable solution may exist to help older adults combat memory decline.
While many older people already take vitamins and dietary supplements to maintain their general health, the effectiveness of these supplements in improving memory and brain function has yielded mixed results in previous studies. Moreover, there has been a lack of large-scale, randomized trials to provide conclusive evidence.
To address this gap, the current study involved over 3,500 adults, predominantly non-Hispanic white individuals aged 60 and above. These participants were randomly assigned to either take a daily multivitamin supplement or receive a placebo for a period of three years. Throughout each year, the participants completed a series of online cognitive assessments designed to evaluate memory function in the hippocampus, an area of the brain affected by normal aging. The study, known as the COSMOS-Web study, is part of a broader clinical trial called the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), spearheaded by Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard.
The results after the first year were promising. Individuals who took the daily multivitamin showed improvements in memory compared to those who received the placebo. The researchers estimate that this improvement, which was sustained over the three-year duration of the study, was equivalent to reversing approximately three years of age-related memory decline. Notably, the effects were more significant in participants with underlying cardiovascular disease.
These findings align with another recent COSMOS study involving more than 2,200 older adults. That study demonstrated that taking a daily multivitamin not only improved overall cognition but also enhanced memory recall and attention, particularly among individuals with underlying cardiovascular conditions.
While the study did not pinpoint which specific component of the multivitamin supplement contributed to the memory improvement, it provides further support to the growing body of evidence indicating that nutrition plays a crucial role in optimizing brain health during the aging process.
Lok-Kin Yeung, the first author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia's Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, commented on the findings, stating that the aging brain may be more sensitive to nutrition than previously believed. Yeung emphasized that it might not be necessary to identify the specific nutrient responsible for slowing cognitive decline; rather, the results suggest that multivitamin supplementation holds promise as a safe, accessible, and affordable method to protect cognitive health in older adults.
Co-author JoAnn Manson, chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, hailed the study's outcomes as remarkable. She emphasized that the findings from two separate cognition studies within the COSMOS randomized trial provide substantial evidence of the potential benefits of multivitamin supplementation in preserving memory and cognitive function in older adults.
However, Professor Brickman cautioned against substituting supplementation for a well-rounded approach to nutrition. While multivitamins are generally considered safe, it is essential for individuals to consult with a physician before starting any supplementation regimen.
The study, titled "Multivitamin supplementation improves memory in older adults: A randomized clinical trial," was recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
