No effective approaches have yet been demonstrated through randomized clinical studies for improving memory or slowing cognitive decline among older individuals. Nutritional supplements could play a pivotal role, since our brain needs several nutrients for optimal health – being deficient in any could accelerate cognitive decline.
Results from the COSMOS-Web study, one of two which examined how supplementing daily multivitamins affected cognitive performance, demonstrate that taking daily multivitamins helped individuals’ memory.
This study marks the second from COSMOS Research Group and follows on from their earlier publication of COSMOS-Mind, to explore memory function improvements associated with taking multivitamin supplements.
COSMOS studies that found supplementing with daily multivitamins improve memory retention and slow cognitive decline indicate that multivitamin supplementation could be an effective, accessible, safe, and cost-effective means of protecting against cognitive health decline in older individuals.
As COSMOS continues to explore how cognitive supplementation could protect against cognitive decline and memory loss, additional studies will become available over time. Multivitamin supplementation could offer protection from this loss.
The COSMOS-Web trial involved over 3,500 individuals 60 years or older who completed annual web-based cognition and memory assessments over 3 years. As compared to placebo groups, those randomly allocated multivitamin supplementation fared significantly better on memory tests at 1 year time point with benefits sustained over 3 years of follow up.
COSMOS studies revealed that multivitamin treatment may improve memory performance by an estimated three years compared with taking placebo, with those experiencing the most benefits being those who had an established cardiovascular condition history.
Researchers utilized an innovative strategy of measuring cognitive outcomes through online-based tests in order to assess the effects of multivitamin supplements on thousands of individuals. Their promising findings provided the impetus for further follow-up research regarding their effect on cognition.
Most older adults are concerned with memory changes that come with age. A recent study suggests that multivitamin supplementation could be an inexpensive and simple solution for older individuals to postpone memory loss.
The COSMOS-Web study’s results corroborate previous findings from the COSMOS-Mind study which linked daily multivitamin supplementation to delayed cognitive decline. That research followed 2,200 older individuals for three years, showing that random allocation to multivitamin supplementation caused an approximately 60% delay in global cognitive aging compared to taking placebo, equivalent to approximately two and a half years less cognitive decline overall.
While the COSMOS-Web study offers evidence of multivitamin supplements’ cognitive advantages, further investigation will be necessary to establish which specific nutrients contribute most significantly and understand any underlying mechanisms involved.
Further studies must also be conducted in order to ascertain whether these findings apply to a more diverse population with lower socioeconomic status and education levels.
