New Delhi: A daily dose of multivitamins may help improve memory and cognition in those aged over 60, a new American study published this month has shown. The study comes at a time when questions have been raised in medical research and journals about the effectiveness of nutritional supplements.
Conducted by scholars associated with the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, among other US institutions, and published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on 18 January, the research was part of a larger ongoing trial called the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS). The COSMOS trial involves 21,442 older adults (60 years and above) and is aimed at studying the health benefits of multivitamin supplements and cocoa extracts.
The latest study divided its participants into two groups — one that took multivitamins (MVM) for at least two years and one that took a placebo. Researchers followed these groups for over two years.
The new results included clinical findings from a subset of 573 participants.
According to the study, although participants in both the multivitamin and placebo groups improved their cognitive scores over two years — likely because they were already familiar with the tests — those taking the multivitamin showed a slightly greater gain.
The MVM supplements used for the study included many vitamins known to be important for preserving brain health and functions, such as Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), Vitamin B7 (biotin), Vitamin B12, and Vitamin K.
In addition, the supplements used in the study also included minerals such as iodine, selenium, and magnesium, which play an important role in maintaining good nerve functions.
Medical experts called the findings crucial, although some believe more research is necessary to fully understand the impact of multivitamins on cognitive functions.
“The results are welcome as they reinforce that MVMs come with very few side effects as they are natural supplements — or nutraceuticals — which means they are not likely to be associated with long-term side effects, harm or unfavorable side effect profile,” Dr. Praveen Gupta, director and the head of the department of neurology at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram, told ThePrint, adding that it’s particularly important from the point of view of patients who are suffering from the late onset of dementia.
The riders
Some, like Dr. Sudhir Kumar, head of the department of neurology at Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad, however, caution against universal use of MVM.
Dr. Kumar told ThePrint that nutritional deficiencies are common causes of cognitive decline among the elderly and the supplementation of multivitamins could expectedly change the course. But there are a few issues that need to be kept in mind and addressed, he said.
According to him, it would be better to screen individuals for nutritional deficiencies and give supplements to only those who are found deficient. It’s also important to conduct a detailed study into possible ill-effects of “blanket” MVM supplementation, he said.
“Also, universal MVM supplementation to everyone over 60 is likely to increase their healthcare costs,” he said, adding that since the MVM supplement used in this study had multiple ingredients, it’s difficult to pinpoint which of them worked in preventing cognitive decline and which didn’t.
Dr. Hyacinth Peninnah Paljor, a senior consultant of internal medicine with Faridabad’s Amrita Hospital too, said that while the exact mechanism remains unclear, the results reveal that the combination of vitamins and minerals may support brain health and function.
“It’s important to note that individual responses to multivitamins can vary, and more research is necessary to fully understand their impact on cognitive functions,” she said. Paljor added that nonetheless, the findings hint at the potential benefits of multivitamin supplementation for cognitive well-being.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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