Meta-Analysis: Do Daily Multivitamins Have Beneficial Effects on Cognitive Health in Older Adults?
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
- Vyas et al. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2024) assessed the effects of multivitamin-mineral (MVM) supplementation on cognitive change
METHODS:
- 2×2 factorial trial and meta-analysis
- COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS)
- Participants
- US adults aged ≥60 years who completed all cognitive tests administered at baseline
- Interventions
- Cocoa extract [500 mg flavanols/day]
- Daily multivitamin-mineral supplement
- Placebo
- Primary outcomes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cancer
- Meta-analysis inclusion criteria
- Non-overlapping participants across three COSMOS cognitive sub-studies
- Meta-Analysis review of patients from different substudies
- COSMOS-Clinic: n=573 | COSMOS-Mind: n=2158 | COSMOS-Web: n=2472
RESULTS:
- 573 participants from COSMOS-Clinic study
- Compared to placebo, there was a modest nonsignificant benefit of MVM on global cognition over 2 years
- Mean difference (MD) 0.06 (95% CI, -0.003 to 0.13) standard deviation units
- MVM was associated with better episodic memory
- MD 0.12 (95% CI, 0.002 to 0.23) standard deviation units
- There was no difference in executive function/attention with MVM
- MD 0.04 (95% CI, –0.04 to 0.11) standard deviation units
- Meta-analysis showed a benefit of MVM on
- Global cognition: MD 0.07 (95% CI, 0.03 to 0.11) | P=0.0009
- Episodic memory: MD 0.06 (95% CI, 0.03 to 0.10) | P=0.0007
- The effect on global cognition was equivalent to reducing cognitive aging by 2 years
CONCLUSION:
- Daily MVM supplementation in older adults had a beneficial effect on episodic memory after 2 years
- Meta-analysis revealed that daily MVM supplements are beneficial for both global cognition and episodic memory
- The authors state
These findings within the COSMOS trial support the benefits of a daily MVM in preventing cognitive decline among older adults
