In a recent study, scientists assessed whether taking a vitamin daily could affect memory. According to the study, multivitamins may help certain peoples memory performance by three years worth of typical, age-related memory loss. 

Over 3,500 patients over 60 were followed by researchers at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston and Columbia University in New York for three years. They underwent annual evaluations using online tests that assess memory for three years. A daily multivitamin or a fake pill was given to the subjects at random.

 In one study, participants were given a list of 20 words, one at a time, for 3 seconds each, and were then instructed to type all the words they remembered both instantly and after 15 minutes. According to researchers, the test assessed how well the hippocampus, a brain region regulating memory and learning, was functioning.

It was observed that the participants who took daily vitamins experienced improved memory after a year and enhanced their accurate recalling capacity from 7.10 words at the beginning to 7.81 words. Participants who received placebo pills increased their word recall from 7.21 to 7.65. According to the researchers calculations, the difference equated to an increase in memory equivalent to three years of typical, age-related change. 

The study discovered that this improvement persisted for at least the final two years of the study and was more pronounced among those with heart disease. Researchers thus concluded that the micronutrients in the multivitamins may help the hippocampus function better. This is the second sizable trial that the researchers have done to demonstrate that older persons who took daily multivitamins had a better memory.

(Source:https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/new-study-finds-multivitamins-may-boost-memory-function-in-some-people/100531724)