Can a multivitamin keep your brain healthy?

By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D.

Millions of people take a multivitamin each day. Some believe it’s a sort of insurance in case their diet is missing some essential nutrient. Others believe it will ward off disease by boosting immunity, improving brain health or regulating metabolism.

It’s easy to see where these ideas come from: Ads tout wide-ranging health benefits, even though most offer little or no evidence to back up the claims.

But research on the health benefits of multivitamins has been mixed at best. Last year, for example, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a leading authority on preventive healthcare, reviewed 90 of the best available studies on supplements and vitamins, and concluded the products didn’t protect healthy adults lacking nutritional deficits against cardiovascular disease, cancer or death from all causes. [See “Not everyone needs a daily multivitamin,” published in the May 2023 Beacon.]

Might research on different doses, supplement combinations, or populations prompt a different conclusion? Well, yes — in fact, that may have already happened, according to a new study that focused on memory and brain function.

Multivitamins and brain function

Our current options for improving brain health are limited. For example, regular exercise, optimal weight and a heart-healthy diet can improve cardiovascular health and lower the chances of certain types of de-