In a recent article published in The American Journal of Nutrition, researchers from Boston’s Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals revealed the results of the COSMOS (Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamins Outcomes Study) trial. This double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the gold standard for clinical research, tested the effects of a daily multivitamin on cognitive changes in adults 60 and older.
Three parallel studies (one in-person, one telephone-based, and one computer-based) all showed significant benefit in cognitive function. Some subjects participated in more than one study. When meta-analysis (a way of combining the results of different trials in order to demonstrate the level of significance) was used to evaluate the overall results of the three trials, global cognitive aging was reduced by about two years, when compared with placebo.
Meaningful improvement in short- and long-term memory (for example, recalling a provided list of words) was found, while executive function tasks (such as counting backwards or the thinking of and naming of certain items such as animals or colors) was less improved.
The study, which did not address the effects of multivitamins on the development of or severity of Alzheimer’s Disease, utilized Centrum Silver for Adults as the study drug. Although no other multivitamin was tested, other brands of multivitamins will likely produce similar results.
Regarding the preservation of memory, researchers also emphasized the importance of a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals, and of getting good sleep.