Cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia affect more than 55 million people worldwide, a figure that’s only expected to continue to grow.
Many who are faced with caring for a loved one with significant cognitive decline are often highly motivated to source simple strategies to maintain their memory and cognitive health and reduce their risk of developing serious neurodegenerative disease. This is what makes this recent groundbreaking study’s findings so compelling, as it offers hope for those seeking simple and natural ways to support their brain function and minimise their long-term risk of cognitive decline.
COSMOS Trial Analysis Shows Promising Results
Using a subset of data obtained from 573 participants in the recently completed COSMOS trial* researchers were able to explore the cognitive effects of daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplementation, using detailed neuropsychological assessments at the commencement of the trial and again 2 years later.
What they’ve discovered could have implications for the advice and clinical approaches to preventative care in older adults. Detailed analyses from this study have found that there is a significant benefit from taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplementation compared with placebo, particularly for episodic memory. Further to this, an additional analysis of over 5000 non-overlapping participants across the 3 COSMOS cognitive sub-studies* showed clear evidence that multivitamin and mineral supplementation benefits both global cognition and episodic memory.
Researchers stated that the effect of daily multivitamins and mineral supplementation on global cognition over a duration of 2–3 years may translate to a reduction in cognitive ageing by 2 years compared with placebo.
Keep Your Brain Nourished With A Daily Dose of Vitamins and Minerals
As we age, the quest for maintaining sharp memory and overall cognitive health becomes more pressing. The findings from this comprehensive study suggest that integrating vitamins and minerals into our daily routine could be an easy, natural method to support our brain longevity and potentially reduce cognitive aging by as much as two years.
This is not just a win for science but offers hope for millions of individuals looking to preserve and enhance their cognitive health through natural means. With a modest benefit on global cognition and a notably more favourable change in episodic memory, multivitamin and mineral supplementation presents an opportunity for older adults to proactively contribute to their cognitive wellbeing.
What makes this study particularly compelling is the rigorous methodology it employed, including detailed neuropsychological assessments and a meta-analysis within the broader COSMOS cognitive sub-studies. This robust evaluation lends a credible basis to the argument in favour of multivitamins and mineral supplementation as a preventative strategy against cognitive decline.
For those invested in their long-term cognitive health, the message is clear: considering a daily regimen of supplemental multivitamins and minerals could be a simple yet powerful tool in the quest to think and feel our best, well into our later years.
*The COSMOS trial was a large randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 × 2 factorial design testing cocoa extract and/or a daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer prevention in 21,442 United States adults, aged ≥60yrs) researchers explored the effects of daily multivitamin and mineral supplementation on cognitive health.
REFERENCE
Viyas CM, et al. Effect of multivitamin-mineral supplementation versus placebo on cognitive function: results from the clinic subcohort of the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) randomized clinical trial and meta-analysis of 3 cognitive studies within COSMOS. Am J Clin Nut. 2024 Mar; 119(3):692-701.