Daily Multivitamins May Sharpen Aging Brains, Landmark Trial Suggests

Dietary supplements promise brain-boosting benefits, but do they deliver? The COSMOS-Mind study, a massive three-year trial involving over 2,200 older adults (average age 73, mostly women), put cocoa extract and daily multivitamins to the test against placebos.
Researchers tracked cognition annually via phone interviews, measuring everything from memory recall and verbal fluency to problem-solving speed. The verdict? Cocoa extract (500 mg flavanols daily) showed no brain benefits. But multivitamins delivered a modest yet significant edge: a 0.07-point improvement in overall cognition scores (P=0.007), with even stronger effects (0.14 points) in those with cardiovascular history.
Memory and executive function also improved with multivitamins, hinting at real-world potential for healthy aging. This pragmatic trial offers the strongest evidence yet for multivitamins supporting cognition in seniors though more diverse studies are needed to confirm and explain why.

Source : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10011015/