Multivitamin Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Yeung L, Alschuler D, Wall M, Luttmann-Gibson H, Copeland T, Hale C, Sloan R, Sesso H, Manson J, Brickman A (2023) The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition May 24 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.05.011
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Abstract:
Background
Maintenance of cognitive abilities is of critical importance to older adults, yet only a few effective strategies to slow down the cognitive decline currently exist. Multivitamin supplementation is used to promote general health; however, it is unclear whether it favorably affects cognition in older age.
Objectives
To examine the effect of daily multivitamin/multimineral supplementation on memory in older adults.
Methods
The Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study Web (COSMOS-Web) ancillary study (NCT04582617) included 3562 older adults. Participants were randomly assigned to a daily multivitamin supplement (Centrum Silver) or placebo and evaluated annually with an Internet-based battery of neuropsychological tests for 3 y. The prespecified primary outcome measure was change in episodic memory, operationally defined as immediate recall performance on the ModRey test, after 1 y of intervention. Secondary outcome measures included changes in episodic memory over 3 y of follow-up and changes in performance on neuropsychological tasks of novel object recognition and executive function over 3 y.
Results
Compared with placebo, participants randomly assigned to multivitamin supplementation had significantly better ModRey immediate recall at 1 y, the primary endpoint (t(5889) = 2.25, P = 0.025), as well as across the 3 y of follow-up on average (t(5889) = 2.54, P = 0.011). Multivitamin supplementation had no significant effects on secondary outcomes. Based on cross-sectional analysis of the association between age and performance on the ModRey, we estimated that the effect of the multivitamin intervention improved memory performance above placebo by the equivalent of 3.1 y of age-related memory change.
Conclusions
Daily multivitamin supplementation, compared with placebo, improves memory. Multivitamin supplementation holds promise as a safe and accessible approach to maintaining cognitive health in older age.
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