The price your brain pays for not taking vitamins

Not too long ago, I reported here about a large-scale study showing that a multivitamin could guard people over 60 from cognitive decline and memory loss.

Now, that data has been combined with a second study, and the results have been confirmed.

If you’re over 60 and not taking a daily vitamin, this should convince you to start.

Because if you don’t, the price your brain could pay is faster cognitive aging.

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The COSMOS study

The COSMOS study (Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study) was a series of double-blind, randomized control trials where participants received either a cocoa extract supplement, a multivitamin supplement, or a placebo.

“Double-blind” means that neither the researchers nor the participants knew who received which pill. This type of trial is considered the “gold standard” for determining the effectiveness of a particular intervention.

Participants completed a battery of cognitive tests yearly for three years.

Overall, the researchers estimate that taking a multivitamin improved memory performance by the equivalent of 3.1 years compared to the placebo group.

“The findings that a daily multivitamin improved memory and slowed cognitive decline in two separate studies in the COSMOS randomized trial is remarkable, suggesting that multivitamin supplementation holds promise as a safe, accessible and affordable approach to protecting cognitive health in older adults,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of the Brigham’s Division of Preventive Medicine and co-author of the study.

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New study, same findings

Last year, another group of highly respected researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (where the COSMOS study was done) followed up with their own research.

Their findings, in combination with a meta-analysis within the COSMOS study, provide strong confirmation that a multivitamin could be a simple and effective way to guard against memory loss as we age.

In this study, researchers gave cognitive tests to 573 participants over the age of 60 over the course of two years. The volunteers were split into four groups and given different combinations of cocoa extract supplements, multivitamin supplements, and placebos.

Taking a multivitamin supplement was linked to a statistically significant improvement in cognitive skills over the two years, with a robust improvement in episodic memory (remembering everyday events).

But when statistically combined with results of the COSMOS trials, multivitamins were still linked to a two-year slowdown of cognitive aging.

Different cognitive ability tests were used in each of these studies. However, they still came to the same conclusion — that vitamin supplements could slow down brain decline.

Why you should take a multivitamin

After reading all this research, you might be thinking, “Isn’t it obvious?”

But you may hear otherwise from your doctor.

Many medical professionals brush off the need for supplementing vitamins. “Just eat a balanced diet,” they’ll tell you.

But the fact is that many of us don’t.

Besides, the vitamins you eat go first to maintaining basic “survivor” functions of the body. This is known as the triage theory.

So, if you want those vitamins to lend extra brain support, take a multivitamin.

According to Dr. Bruce Ames, who developed the triage theory, there’s a handful of vitamins and minerals you should be sure are part of any multivitamin you’re taking:

• Vitamin D
• Omega 3 fatty acids
• magnesium
• choline
• carotenoids

Sources:

‘Strong And Consistent Evidence’ Links Multivitamins to Memory And Cognitive Benefits — Science Alert

Effect of multivitamin-mineral supplementation versus placebo on cognitive function: results from the clinic subcohort of the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) randomized clinical trial and meta-analysis of 3 cognitive studies within COSMOS — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition