New study shows that daily multivitamins may ameliorate Alzheimer's disease

September 21st is World Alzheimer's Day. The survey report on the awareness and demand of Alzheimer's disease in China was released recently. The survey report shows that the total awareness rate of Alzheimer's disease in my country exceeds 90%, but the active consultation rate is only more than 10%. Such diseases affect more than 46 million people globally, and there is an urgent need to identify effective therapeutic strategies to improve cognitive function in order to reduce the heavy societal burden associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia-related diseases.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any intervention to prevent cognitive decline in asymptomatic older adults, and to date, there is insufficient evidence to support the clinical benefit of any drug treatment in adults with mild cognitive impairment. Developing a safe, affordable intervention to protect cognitive function in older adults from decline is an urgent public health priority.

In a recent study published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia, researchers in the United States investigated whether a daily dose of cocoa extract (CE, which contains 500 mg of flavanols, 80 mg of epicatechin, Whether 50 mg/day theobromine (50 mg/day), and 15 mg/day caffeine) and/or MVM (multivitamin mineral) can protect cognitive function in older men and women. It found that taking a multivitamin-mineral tablet daily may slow the natural tendency to age-related cognitive decline.

The researchers recruited a total of 2262 participants to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that assessed the cognitive enhancement effects of regular CE and MVM use in older adults.

COSMOS-Mind (COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study of the Mind) is a supplementary study of a large pragmatic, placebo-controlled, 2×2 factorial clinical trial testing the effects of daily supplementation with cocoa extract (CE) and/or MVM. Effects on cardiovascular and cancer-related diseases.

In addition, COSMOS-Mind trial eligibility includes (i) patients ≥ 65 years of age; (ii) no insulin use; (iii) ability to complete a telephone cognitive assessment. The COSMOS trial was randomized using a computer-generated allocation list. All participants, inspectors and investigators were blinded to the intervention. A linear mixed effects model was used for the analysis.

The results of the study found:

1. Cocoa extract (CE) had no significant effect on cognition (mean z-score 0.03). Conversely, daily MVM supplementation showed a statistically significant cognitive (GC) benefit (mean z-score 0.1) compared with placebo, which was most prominent in adults with CVD (negative and positive medical histories). The mean z-scores were 0.06 and 0.14, respectively).

2. Multivitamin-mineral (MVM) administration also had some benefit in improving memory and executive function, with mean z-scores of 0.1 and 0.1, respectively.

3. Cocoa extract did not alter the cognitive benefits of MVM, and no adverse events were reported during the trial.

Taken together, the findings suggest that taking cocoa extract daily for three years has no cognitive benefit. In contrast, daily vitamin-mineral supplementation for three years improved overall cognition, episodic memory, and executive function in older adults. In particular, the benefits of vitamin-mineral supplementation were more pronounced in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease of old age. Early symptoms include: memory loss, poor orientation, not finding home, difficulty finding words, anxiety, and poor sleep quality. Therefore, encouraging the elderly to participate in more social activities and develop hobbies can keep the brain alive. At the same time, help the elderly to develop a healthy lifestyle of quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, eating a reasonable diet, maintaining a balanced nutrition, and insisting on exercising. Elderly people with high blood pressure and diabetes need effective treatment. This will improve their quality of life.