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Brain's Potential Cost When Skipping Vitamins: Unchecked Consequences

Enjoying a potential bid of finally retarding your brain's cognitive decay by a substantial two years (achieved by the trial group in merely three years) by means of adopting a single, easily manageable routine, wouldn't you consider it worth the effort?

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Enhancing your brain's cognitive function by two years is plausible through a single habit, as...
Enhancing your brain's cognitive function by two years is plausible through a single habit, as evident from a study where participants saw improvement in three years - is this an opportunity you'd pass up?

Brain's Potential Cost When Skipping Vitamins: Unchecked Consequences

Heyy there! Remember when I chatted about that massive study showing a multivitamin could stop cognitive decline and memory loss in individuals over 60? Well, guess what? New research is backing that up!

If you haven't hopped on the multivitamin train yet and you're over 60, it's high time you started. Your brain's health could suffer otherwise with faster cognitive aging.

But why is that, you ask? Let's dive into it!

The COSMOS Study

Ever heard of the COSMOS study? It's a series of double-blind, randomized control trials where participants received either a cocoa extract supplement, a multivitamin supplement, or a placebo.

In simple terms, this means neither the researchers nor the participants knew who got what pill. This type of trial is the best way to figure out if a particular intervention works.

Over three years, participants completed a series of cognitive tests annually.

And guess what? Taking a multivitamin improved memory performance by the equivalent of 3.1 years compared to the placebo group!

Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of the Brigham's Division of Preventive Medicine, said, "The findings that a daily multivitamin improved memory and slowed cognitive decline in two separate studies in the COSMOS randomized trial is remarkable, suggesting that multivitamin supplementation holds promise as a safe, accessible, and affordable approach to protecting cognitive health in older adults."

New Study, Same Results

Last year, researchers from the same institution followed up with their own investigation. Their findings, combined with a meta-analysis within the COSMOS study, provide strong confirmation that a multivitamin could be an efficient way to combat memory loss as we age.

Researchers gave cognitive tests to 573 participants over 60 over two years. The volunteers were divided into four groups and given various combinations of cocoa extract supplements, multivitamin supplements, and placebos.

Taking a multivitamin supplement was linked to a significant improvement in cognitive skills over the two years, with a robust improvement in episodic memory (remembering everyday events).

And when those findings were combined with the COSMOS trials, multivitamins were still linked to a two-year slowdown of cognitive aging. Different cognitive ability tests were used in each study, yet they all reached the same conclusion – vitamin supplements could slow down brain decline.

Why Take a Multivitamin?

After reading all this research, you might think it's obvious. But your doctor might disagree. Some doctors insist a balanced diet is all you need.

However, the fact is that many of us don't follow a balanced diet. Besides, the vitamins you eat go first to sustaining basic "survivor" functions of the body. This is known as the triage theory.

So, if you want those vitamins to support your brain, take a multivitamin.

According to Dr. Bruce Ames, who developed the triage theory, there are some key vitamins and minerals you should ensure are part of the multivitamin you're taking:

  • Vitamin D
  • Omega 3 fatty acids
  • Magnesium
  • Choline
  • Carotenoids

Editor's note: For more ways to keep your heart healthy, click here for Hushed Up Natural Heart Cures and Common Misconceptions of Popular Heart Treatments!*

Sources:

  1. "Strong And Consistent Evidence' Links Multivitamins to Memory And Cognitive Benefits" - Science Alert
  2. "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" - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
  3. The COSMOS study, which involved a series of trials, demonstrated that taking a multivitamin could improve memory performance by the equivalent of 3.1 years compared to a placebo group.
  4. A follow-up study by the same researchers confirmed that multivitamin supplementation may be an efficient way to combat memory loss as we age, with a significant improvement in cognitive skills over two years.
  5. A balanced diet may be essential for overall health, but due to various factors, many people might not get the necessary nutrients, making supplements like multivitamins, containing key vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, Omega 3 fatty acids, Magnesium, Choline, and Carotenoids, crucial for supporting brain health and potentially slowing down cognitive aging.

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