The Study
Effects of a multivitamin, mineral and herbal supplement on cognition and blood biomarkers in older men: a randomised, placebo‐controlled trial
This study gave some older men a daily vitamin pill and saw if their memory got better. It found one small improvement in memory for those who took the pill, but not in other areas. So we can say the pill might help with that one memory thing, but we can't say it makes you smarter overall.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave older men a daily multivitamin to see if it helped their memory, and compared them to men who took a fake pill.
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 554 / 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 memory improvement was real but small and specific — it didn't help overall thinking, just one kind of memory, and it only lasted as long as they took the pills.
- 2After 8 weeks, men who took the vitamin improved their memory for details like where they saw something — but not other types of memory.
- 3Their blood showed more B12 and folate, and less homocysteine.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
Year
2012
Authors
E. Harris, H. Macpherson, L. Vitetta, J. Kirk, A. Sali, A. Pipingas
Related Content
Claims (3)
Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement for two to three years leads to better episodic memory and overall cognitive performance in adults aged 60 and older, with the improvement matching the cognitive gain of aging backward by 2 to 4.8 years.
In sedentary men aged 50–74, taking a daily multivitamin, mineral, and herbal supplement for 8 weeks raises blood levels of vitamin B12 and folate while lowering homocysteine levels.
In sedentary men aged 50–74, daily supplementation with a multivitamin, mineral, and herbal formulation for 8 weeks improved performance on a test of contextual recognition memory, with no change in other memory or cognitive functions.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.