The Study
Long-Term Multivitamin Supplementation and Cognitive Function in Men
This study gave some men a multivitamin every day and others a fake pill, then checked their memory and thinking skills for over 10 years. It found no difference between the two groups, so we can say the multivitamin didn't help their brains in this group.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave older men a daily vitamin or a fake pill for over 10 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 588 / 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 tiny difference seen (less than 0.01 points) is smaller than the normal yearly brain aging — so vitamins didn’t slow decline even a little.
- 2Men who took vitamins had the same brain test scores as those who took placebo — no difference at all.
- 3Their brains aged at the same rate: about -0.045 points per year.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Annals of Internal Medicine
Year
2013
Authors
Francine Grodstein, Jacqueline O’Brien, Jae Hee Kang, Rimma Dushkes, Nancy R. Cook, Olivia Okereke, JoAnn E. Manson, Robert J. Glynn, Julie E. Buring, J. Michael Gaziano, Howard D. Sesso
Related Content
Claims (7)
Older adults who take multivitamins show cognitive test scores similar to those of people two years younger who do not take multivitamins.
Taking multivitamins slows cognitive decline in older adults by about two years. Creatine supplements do not improve cognitive performance in healthy young adults.
Taking a daily multivitamin for more than ten years does not change the rate of cognitive decline in men aged 65 or older, based on standardized tests of memory and overall thinking ability.
Among male physicians aged 65 and older, taking a daily multivitamin for more than ten years does not change the rate at which cognitive abilities decline, which is about -0.045 standard units per year on a standardized cognitive test.
In older men, taking multivitamins does not slow cognitive decline, and this lack of effect is not because most people did not take the pills — 83.5% took at least two-thirds of their doses over 10 years.
In men aged 65 and older, taking multivitamins long-term provides the same cognitive benefits regardless of whether they have risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, or depression.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.