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….
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