Wednesday 14 September 2022 05:59 PM Using a daily multivitamin CAN improve a person's cognitive and prevent mental ... trends now
Taking a multivitamin every day can slow an elderly person's cognitive decline by about 60 percent, a study has suggested.
Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who carried out the three-year study said the pills likely helped because they prevented deficiencies of nutrients like vitamin D and zinc — vital for brain health.
It was the first-large scale research to suggest multivitamins can protect the brain in old age, but the scientists admitted more research is needed before they recommend elderly people to start using the pills daily.
Manufacturers and some scientists have been spouting the benefits of multivitamins for years, as they spring an up to $50billion market every year in North America alone with about 31 percent of Americans already thought to be at risk of at least one vitamin deficiency.
But the jury is still out on whether the tablets can benefit brain health. Some experts brand them a 'huge waste of money', while one warned earlier this month that some could even be triggering heart problems in people in their 20s.
Scientists at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina looked at taking cocoa or multivitamin supplements over three years. They found those who got multivitamins had a slower rate of mental decline than others (file photo)
The above shows the multivitamin supplement (left) and cocoa supplement (right) given once a day to each participant
In the study, published Wednesday in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, researchers recruited 2,000 people over the age of 65 who had no history of other medical conditions and did not take supplements.
Participants had an average BMI of 28, which classifies them as overweight, but not obese.
They were divided into four groups and asked to take either multivitamins once a day, a cocoa tablet daily or to avoid supplements.
People given the multivitamin received the Centrum Silver pill, made by Haleon, sold for about 19 cents-a-pill. It is aimed at the over-50s, and contains nutrients including vitamin D, calcium and zinc — which are all thought to support brain function.
Those getting cocoa received supplements from CocoaVia, owned by chocolate giant Mars, sold for about 66 cents-a-pill. It contains flavonols, that have been shown to reduce inflammation to help protect brain health.
