As we grow older, our memory may not be as sharp as it used to be. This can be a normal part of aging, but there’s a chance it could be slowed down.
The brain needs many nutrients to work well. If it doesn’t get these nutrients, it might not work as well as it could.
Some researchers have been studying if taking multivitamins, which are packed with lots of different nutrients, could help with this. They ran a big study called COSMOS to test it out.
COSMOS: A Study on Multivitamins and Memory
COSMOS is short for “COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study.” Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Columbia University were the ones in charge.
They actually did two separate studies under the COSMOS name: COSMOS-Web and COSMOS-Mind.
Both studies looked at whether taking multivitamins every day could improve memory. The researchers shared the results of COSMOS-Web in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
They found that the people who took multivitamins every day had better memory than the people who didn’t. This result was similar to what they found in the COSMOS-Mind study.
Why This Is Important
Dr. JoAnn Manson, one of the researchers from BWH, said these findings are exciting.
She thinks that taking multivitamins every day could be a safe, easy, and affordable way to keep our brains sharp as we grow older.
Dr. Howard Sesso, another researcher from BWH, agrees. He says it’s important to understand how multivitamins might protect against memory loss.
He also wonders if some people might benefit more from taking multivitamins than others.
More About the COSMOS-Web Study
The COSMOS-Web study included more than 3,500 people who were 60 years old or older. The researchers tested their memory over three years.
The people who took multivitamins did better on the memory tests than the people who didn’t. In fact, the researchers estimated that taking multivitamins made people’s memory about 3.1 years younger.
One interesting thing they noticed was that people with a history of heart disease seemed to benefit the most from taking multivitamins.
What’s Next?
The researchers are happy with their findings but say that more research is needed. They want to know which specific nutrients in the multivitamins help the most.
They also want to study more people, especially people who come from different backgrounds and have different education levels.
Dr. Adam Brickman and Dr. Lok-Kin Yeung, who co-led the COSMOS-Web study, are hopeful about the future.
They believe that taking multivitamins could be a simple and inexpensive way for older adults to slow down memory loss.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies that whole grain foods could help increase longevity, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about natural coconut sugar that could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness, and anti-inflammatory diet could help prevent fatty liver disease.
The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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