Brigham and Women's Hospital study finds daily multivitamin slows brain aging

BOSTON - Taking a daily multivitamin may improve brain function in older adults.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Columbia University looked at more than 3,500 participants 60 and older and found that those taking a daily multivitamin did significantly better on memory tests over a three-year period. 

The trial tested Centrum Silver for adults but the researchers said any standard multivitamin containing at least 20 essential vitamins and minerals should be fine as long as it carries a seal of quality-control testing, such as USP, NSF, or ConsumerLab.com.

This is the second recent study to find that taking a multivitamin can improve memory and slow cognitive decline and offers hope that this safe, accessible, and affordable intervention may offer some brain protection as we age. However, speak to your personal provider before starting a daily multivitamin.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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