Brain rejuvenation
According to the study, a simple remedy improves memory performance
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A recent study shows that taking a simple dietary supplement improves memory performance, which means that the supply of nutrients has a greater impact on our brain than previously thought.
As we get older, the performance of the brain gradually deteriorates. To counteract this, however, it should be enough if we take a multivitamin preparation per day. That’s what scientists at Columbia University in New York and Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard found in one study out of here.
Cognitive aging is a major health concern for older adults, and this study suggests there may be a simple and inexpensive way to help older adults slow memory loss.
This explains study leader Adam M. Brickman, professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University.
Improvement in memory lasts for years
In order to investigate the influence of nutrients on our brain and memory performance, 3500 subjects were examined. Over a three-year test period, participants aged 60 or older were to take either a multivitamin or a placebo. The selection was random. At the end of each year, they also had to complete a series of online cognitive tests to assess hippocampal memory function. So the area that is affected by aging.
After a year, the researchers found that the brain performance of the participants who had taken a multivitamin improved. The researchers estimate that the improvement that persisted over the three-year study period was equivalent to about three years of age-related memory loss. The effect was even more pronounced in participants with an underlying cardiovascular disease.
There has been some evidence that people with cardiovascular disease may have lower levels of micronutrients that multivitamins could correct, but we don’t really know at this time why the effect is stronger in this group.
However, it has not been investigated which vitamins specifically improve memory performance.
Brain may be more sensitive to diet than previously thought
Accordingly, a healthy, balanced diet probably has a greater influence on our brain than previously thought. It’s not even necessary to find out which specific nutrient helps slow cognitive decline, says Lok-Kin Yeung of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University. The finding that a simple dietary supplement helps improve is a safe, accessible, and affordable approach to protecting cognitive health in older adults, said co-author JoAnn Manson, chief of the department of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
It is better to take dietary supplements only after consulting a doctor
It is important for the researchers to emphasize that dietary supplements are by no means a substitute for a healthy diet: “Although multivitamins are generally safe, people should always consult a doctor before taking them.”
Sources: cuimc.columbia.edu