health

Multivitamins May Help Slow Loss of Memory as People Get Older

Those who took a daily Centrum Silver pill over a period of three years had better memories than those who received a placebo treatment, new research found.

Elderly woman pouring vitamin pills on hand
Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Multivitamin supplements may help slow the normal forgetfulness that comes with aging, researchers reported Wednesday.

The analysis of data from more than 3,500 older participants showed that those who took a daily Centrum Silver pill over a period of three years had better memories than those who received a placebo treatment, according to the report published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The effects seen in the study are “very, very encouraging,” said study co-author Adam Brickman, a professor of neuropsychology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.

“Cognitive change and memory loss are a top health concern for older adults,” he said. “And we don’t have many strategies to mitigate the changes that come with aging. So it’s encouraging that a supplement can help address one of the main health concerns older adults have.”

To explore whether a daily multivitamin could benefit cognitive function, the researchers turned to participants in the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a multi-year study that has enrolled 21,442 older men and women to investigate the effects of cocoa supplements and multivitamins on cognition and the risk of cancer and cardiovascular events.

Haleon, formerly known as Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, makes Centrum Silver and provided vitamins used in the trial. Mars Edge, part of the Mars candy and snack maker, partially funded the study with the National Institutes of Health. Neither company had any role in designing the trial or input in the findings. 

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.

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