Study finds daily multivitamins improve memory and slow cognitive aging in adults 60 and older

BOSTON — New research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests taking a multivitamin each day may help improve your memory as you age.

Researchers from the hospital teamed up with Columbia University to study vitamins’ impacts on cognitive aging. According to the study, adults 60 years and older who took a daily multivitamin for three years performed better in online memory tests than compared to people who took a placebo.

“Because of our innovative approach of assessing cognitive outcomes using internet-based tests, we were able to examine the effects of a multivitamin in thousands of study participants. The findings are promising and certainly set the stage for important follow-up studies about the impact of multivitamin supplementation on cognition,” said Adam Brickman, Ph.D., who co-led the COSMOS-Web study with Lok-Kin Yeung, Ph.D., at Columbia University.  “Most older adults are worried about memory changes that occur with aging. Our study suggests that supplementation with multivitamins may be a simple and inexpensive way for older adults to slow down memory loss,” added Yeung.

This is the second recent study to find that taking a multivitamin can improve memory and slow cognitive decline and offers hope that this safe, accessible, and affordable intervention may offer some brain protection as we age. However, speak to your personal provider before starting a daily multivitamin.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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