Multivitamin May Improve Cognition

• Updated on: 2022-09-29
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Results from the randomized controlled trial — which is considered the gold standard of study designs when evaluating a treatment or intervention — surprised the researchers, according to lead author Laura Baker, a professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The cocoa extract — rich in compounds called flavonols that have been linked to better brain health — had no impact on cognition, showed the study, which was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The adults who were randomly assigned to take a daily multivitamin, however, saw a statistically significant improvement — one that translated to a 60 percent slowing of cognitive decline (or a 1.8-year delay). The benefits were greatest in adults with cardiovascular disease.
Not a treatment for dementia
Baker cautions that the study does not suggest a multivitamin can prevent or cure dementia, a cluster of conditions that affect more than 55 million people worldwide. However, if additional research confirms the findings, it could be “a layer of protection against [cognitive] decline,” going hand in hand with other habits that can protect the brain, like regular physical activity and a healthy diet.
Plus, it’s an intervention that’s inexpensive, accessible and familiar to most Americans. Research from AARP shows that nearly 8 in 10 (78 percent) adults 50 and older take a vitamin or dietary supplement.
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“This study aims to answer a basic question many of us have asked: Are we missing a simple opportunity to improve cognition on a mass scale? This is truly a pragmatic public health study,” Anna Nordvig, a neurologist and assistant professor of neurology at the Memory Disorders Clinic at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medicine, wrote in an email to AARP.
She points out, however, that while the multivitamin effects are measurable, they are still small. What’s more, the research doesn’t answer why or how a multivitamin might be able to slow cognitive decline. “Thus, no simple solution emerges,” notes Nordvig, who wasn’t involved in the study.
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One explanation could be the modern diet. “Although we are well fed, we are not necessarily well nourished with the essential micronutrients that we need for brain health,” Baker says, pointing to the prevalence of processed foods in the American diet.
A recent study published in the journal Neurology found that the  consumption of ultra-processed foods  was associated with a higher risk of dementia in adults 55 and older. On the other hand, a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables has been associated with better brain health, says  a report  from AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health.
“Our hypothesis is that [many] Americans — because of our culture, our comfort foods, the way that we consume foods — are, at the very least, in a suboptimum state [of nourishment],” Baker says. What a multivitamin may be able to do, she adds, is bump that level up to optimum. “And we know that for brain health, even a small change can make a huge difference in how well those cells function in the brain.”
Additional research will provide more answers
Outside experts say that while the study is well designed, the research needs to be replicated, especially since some past studies conflict with these latest results.  
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