Do daily vitamins help older brains remember better?
Effect of multivitamin‐mineral supplementation on change in cognitive function in the COSMOS Clinical subcohort and meta‐analysis of COSMOS cognition studies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The improvement in episodic memory was statistically significant despite the small effect size (0.11 SD), which is unusual for nutritional interventions in aging cognition.
Most prior studies found no clear cognitive benefit from multivitamins, and effect sizes this small are often dismissed as meaningless—yet here, it passed statistical thresholds.
Practical Takeaways
Older adults concerned about memory may consider taking a daily multivitamin as a low-risk, low-cost option that might slightly support episodic memory.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The improvement in episodic memory was statistically significant despite the small effect size (0.11 SD), which is unusual for nutritional interventions in aging cognition.
Most prior studies found no clear cognitive benefit from multivitamins, and effect sizes this small are often dismissed as meaningless—yet here, it passed statistical thresholds.
Practical Takeaways
Older adults concerned about memory may consider taking a daily multivitamin as a low-risk, low-cost option that might slightly support episodic memory.
Publication
Journal
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Year
2023
Authors
Chirag M. Vyas, P. Rist, H. Sesso, Joann E Manson, Olivia I. Okereke
Related Content
Claims (4)
Taking a daily vitamin and mineral pill for two years might help older adults think more clearly and remember things better—like turning back their brain’s clock by two years.
Taking a daily multivitamin for two years might help older adults remember things like names or where they put their keys just a little better than not taking one — it’s a tiny boost, but it’s real.
Taking a daily multivitamin might slightly help your memory and thinking as you age, but the evidence isn’t strong enough to say for sure—it’s like a tiny nudge in the right direction that could just be luck.
Taking a daily multivitamin might help older adults remember things better and think more clearly, based on a summary of three big studies—but we haven’t seen the full details yet.