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Effects of a multivitamin, mineral and herbal supplement on cognition and blood biomarkers in older men: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 06/19/2012
Clinical Article
Harris E et al. – Findings from this study indicate that daily multivitamin supplementation may improve episodic memory in older men at risk of cognitive decline.
Methods- The current study was an 8–week, placebo–controlled, double–blind investigation into the effects of a multivitamin, mineral and herbal supplement (Swisse Men's Ultivite, Swisse Vitamins Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia) on cognitive performance in older men.
- Participants were 51 male individuals aged between 50 and 74 years, with a sedentary lifestyle.
- Cognitive performance was assessed at baseline and post–treatment using a computerised battery of cognitive tasks, enabling the measurement of a range of attentional and memory processes.
- Blood measures of vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine were collected prior to and after supplementation.
- The results of this study revealed that contextual recognition memory performance was significantly improved following multivitamin supplementation (p < 0.05).
- Performance on other cognitive tasks did not change.
- Levels of vitamin B12 and folate were significantly increased with a concomitant decrease in homocysteine, indicating that relatively short–term supplementation with a multivitamin can benefit these risk factors for cognitive decline.