Although the causes responsible for diseases related to cognitive impairment are unknown, it has been observed that its possible development is the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors, as well as lifestyles such as diet.
In this sense, the consumption of nutrients plays a fundamental role and daily consumption of a vitamin food supplement for three years translates into approximately a 60% slowdown in cognitive decline , as claimed by one study carried out on a large scale and published in the Journal of the Alzheimer's Association .
It reviewed data from the Cocoa Supplements and Multivitamin Outcomes Study for the Mind (COSMOS-Mind), funded by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health and in which more than 2,200 participants, 65 years of age or older, participated, who were followed up for three years. Specifically, the researchers tested whether daily consumption of cocoa extract along with multivitamin supplements, which have been shown to be safe, effective, and of high quality, improves cognition in older adults compared to placebo.
The research examined the role of multivitamin food supplements by containing nutrients that have a role essential in promoting the normal functioning of the body and brain, thus decreasing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia when there is a deficiency of vitamins and minerals.
While the evidence for cocoa consumption was too low, daily vitamin and mineral intake did result in cognitive improvement. Likewise, greater benefits were reported in those participants with cardiovascular diseases, which could be interesting data, since this population group may present a greater risk of cognitive deterioration.
Due in part to the aging of the population, there is now an urgent need for safe and affordable guidelines and interventions to slow or prevent decline in older adults. The results of this new study represent the " first scientific evidence of a cognitive benefit in a large, long-term study of multivitamin food supplements in older adults ," the researchers confirm. However, although " these preliminary findings are promising, additional research is needed in a larger and more diverse group of people ," as well as detailing how the multivitamin could benefit cognition," the experts continue.
Alzheimer's is one of the best-known diseases related to cognitive impairment and is the most common form of dementia. According to data of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), only in Spain this disease affects about 800,000 people, age being one of the major risk factors, and every year 40,000 new cases are diagnosed in our country.