The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) responded to the results of an ancillary study of the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study for the Mind (COSMOS-Mind) study conducted by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Andrea Wong, Ph. D, CRN’s senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, stated “This study adds to the body of evidence showing promise for various roles of multivitamins in health. Research has already established that multivitamins can help to fill nutrient gaps. Beyond this, the Physicians’ Health Study II, a large-scale clinical trial, showed an 8 [percent] reduction in overall cancer risk in older male physicians who took a daily multivitamin as well as a significant decrease in cataract risk. The COSMOS-Mind study provides evidence that daily multivitamin consumption may benefit cognitive function in older men and women. With further research, the full potential for multivitamins in protecting and enhancing health could be realized."

COSMOS-Mind, funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health, was an ancillary study to the COSMOS trial led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital that randomized 21,442 men and women across the U.S. The study investigated whether taking a daily cocoa extract supplement or a daily multivitamin-mineral supplement reduces the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, cancer and other health outcomes. The participants using a multivitamin, relative to placebo, experienced a statistically significant benefit on global cognition and this effect was most pronounced in participants with a history of cardiovascular disease. Multivitamin-mineral benefits were also observed for memory and executive function.

In COSMOS-Mind, researchers tested whether daily administration of cocoa extract versus placebo and a multivitamin-mineral versus placebo improved cognition in older adults. More than 2,200 participants, ages 65 and older, enrolled and were followed for three years. Participants completed tests over the telephone at baseline and annually to evaluate memory and other cognitive abilities.

For more information, visit www.crnusa.org.