Am J Clin Nutr

Daily multivitamin may slow cognitive decline in older adults

January 25, 2024

Daily supplementation with a multivitamin-mineral (MVM) resulted in significantly more favorable 2-year change in episodic memory, according to a subcohort analysis within the COSMOS trial. Meta-analysis of COSMOS cognitive sub-studies found that daily MVM yielded significant benefits in both global cognition and episodic memory.

• COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) is a 2x2 factorial trial of cocoa extract and/or daily MVM supplement for CV disease and cancer prevention among US adults ≥60 years of age (N=21,422). A clinic subcohort (COSMOS-Clinic) included 573 participants who completed all cognitive tests at baseline. For the meta-analysis, researchers included non-overlapping participants across three COSMOS cognitive sub-studies: COSMOS-Clinic (n=573); COSMOS-Mind (n=2,158); COSMOS-Web (n=2,472).
• Findings from COSMOS-Clinic showed a modest benefit of MVM (vs. placebo) on global cognition over 2 years, with significantly more favorable change in episodic memory but not in executive function or attention.
• Meta-analysis of COSMOS cognitive sub-studies demonstrated clear evidence of MVM benefits on both global cognition and episodic memory. The magnitude of effect on global cognition was equivalent to reducing cognitive aging by 2 years.
• The findings support the use of a daily MVM supplement for preventing cognitive decline in older adults.

Source:

Vyas CM, et al. (2024, January 18). Am J Clin Nutr. Effect of multivitamin-mineral supplementation versus placebo on cognitive function: Results from the clinic sub-cohort of the COSMOS randomized clinical trial and meta-analysis of three cognitive studies within COSMOS. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38244989/