Daily Multivitamin May Slow Down Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

As people get older, many of them experience some level of age-related cognitive decline. For example, forgetting details or misplacing items can become more common as we get older. However, severe cognitive decline can lead to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, which cause significant changes in a person's ability to remember or make decisions and have an impact on their daily life.

Experts are still trying to figure out what factors influence cognitive function and how people can help prevent cognitive decline. A study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia looked at whether taking a multivitamin or cocoa extract on a daily basis affected cognitive function in older adults. While the authors did not observe any benefits from cocoa consumption, they did discover that taking daily multivitamin-mineral supplements was associated with improved memory and executive function.

The study compared the effects of daily cocoa extract or a daily multivitamin-mineral (MVM) supplement on cognitive function to a placebo. The authors of this study conducted a randomized clinical trial with over 2,000 adults aged 65 and up. To participate in the study, participants had to meet certain eligibility requirements. They had to, for example, have no history of heart attacks or a serious illness that would prevent them from participating. They also couldn't be allergic to cocoa or caffeine. Furthermore, they also assessed participants' ability to recall events and memories (episodic memory) as well as their executive function (focus and thinking). The study included over 2,200 people over the age of 65 who had no symptoms or a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease at the start of the study. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of two groups:
●Multivitamin
●Supplements containing cocoa extract
●Supplements containing multivitamins and cocoa extract
●Placebos

Participants agreed to take the supplement every day for the next three years. They were evaluated on a yearly basis for overall cognitive, memory, and executive functions.

According to the researchers, benefits peaked at the end of the second year. After two years, those who took the multivitamin supplements with iron, zinc, vitamin D, and other essential minerals had better memory and executive function than the other groups. The multivitamin supplements also slowed cognitive decline by about 1.8 years. The study's findings show that cocoa extract has no effect on cognition. However, taking multivitamins was linked to better cognition, executive function, and episodic memory. Participants with cardiovascular disease benefited the most.

Source:Multivitamins May Help Slow Cognitive Decline (healthline.com)
Daily multivitamin may slow cognitive decline in older adults (medicalnewstoday.com)