The Study
Effects of cocoa extract and a multivitamin on cognitive function: a randomized clinical trial
This study is like a fair test where half the people took a multivitamin and half took a fake pill, and then we checked their memory and thinking skills every year. It found that the multivitamin group did a little better, but we can't say for sure why—maybe it's the vitamins, maybe it's something else. We can't say it works for everyone, just for people like those in the study.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave older adults either a daily multivitamin or a placebo for three years to see if it helped their memory and thinking.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 580 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The improvement is small but meaningful — like slowing brain aging by nearly two years, even if it doesn't make you suddenly smarter.
- 2People who took the multivitamin (Centrum Silver) had slightly better memory and thinking skills after 3 years — about as much as if they were 1.8 years younger.
- 3Those who took cocoa extract saw no change.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
Year
2022
Authors
Laura D. Baker, J. Manson, S. Rapp, H. Sesso, S. Gaussoin, Sally A. Shumaker, M. Espeland
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement for two years results in a reduction of cognitive aging by about two years in people aged 60 and older, as shown by improved scores on tests of overall thinking and memory.
In adults aged 65 and older, taking Centrum Silver daily for three years leads to a small but statistically detectable improvement in overall cognitive function compared to taking a placebo.
Among adults aged 65 and older, those with a history of cardiovascular disease who took Centrum Silver daily for three years showed a greater improvement in cognitive function than those without cardiovascular disease who took the same supplement.
Taking a daily cocoa extract supplement with 500 mg of flavanols for three years does not change global cognitive function, episodic memory, or executive function in people aged 65 and older.
Adults aged 65 and older who take Centrum Silver multivitamin-mineral daily for three years have higher episodic memory and executive function scores than those who take a placebo, with an average improvement of 0.06 standard deviations in both areas.
Taking cocoa extract with Centrum Silver multivitamin-mineral supplements does not improve cognitive performance in older adults more than taking Centrum Silver alone.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.