Multivitamins Help Preserve Cognition & Slow Brain Aging, Experts Say*
Worried about your memory or mental sharpness? You’re not alone. Cognitive concerns are on the rise. The right daily habits can help safeguard your brain health, no matter your age.
An easy, underrated, and science-backed way to protect your brain is by taking a daily multivitamin. Multivitamins provide an array of both vitamins and minerals that our diets often lack sufficient levels of (this is true even if you eat a generally healthy diet).
Recently, a panel of nine experts in neurology, nutrition, and geriatrics from Latin America convened to create a scientific consensus statement 1on the role of multivitamins in cognitive aging.
While this panel reflected Latin American expertise, their findings apply broadly—underscoring that daily multivitamin use is a simple, accessible way for people everywhere to support long-term brain health.
Let’s dive into three of their key consensus statements and why the humble multivitamin is linked to cognition (all of which were graded an A for their level of evidence).*
Statement 1: When neurobiological changes start
“As people age, cognitive impairment generally becomes more pronounced, and typically noticeable between the ages of 60 and 70 years. However, underlying neurobiological changes may begin as early as 40 years old.”
That’s right: Cognitive aging doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s a gradual process that can start in your 40s (!), even if noticeable signs don’t appear until much later.
Why is this important? Starting preventative measures that support brain health should begin much earlier than you think.
While research does show that taking a multivitamin after the age of 60 does slow brain aging (and we’ll dive more into that in a bit), imagine the added protective benefit of starting that habit nearly two decades prior?
Statement 2: The importance of neuronutrients
“Vitamins and minerals are neuronutrients. Vitamin C, D, E, B-complex, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc are micronutrients that have specific roles in brain structures and global cognitive functions.”
Research shows that micronutrients influence everything from neurotransmitter production to nerve cell communication and antioxidant defenses.
For example:
- B vitamins (B6, B9, B12) regulate homocysteine metabolism, and low levels of these vitamins are linked to worsened brain aging.
- Vitamin D has many neuroprotective properties, and low blood levels of this vitamin are also tied to poor cognition.
- Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and helps protect the brain from oxidative stress.
- Zinc and magnesium are essential for memory and learning.
- Selenium boosts antioxidant defenses.
- Copper and chromium play a crucial role in neurotransmitter balance and energy regulation in the brain.
Together, these findings underscore why adequate micronutrient intake can meaningfully influence brain health across the lifespan.
Statement 3: There are long-term clinical studies on multivitamins and cognition
“COSMOS-Mind studies are the most relevant ones related to MVMs and healthy cognitive aging.”
One of the strongest pieces of evidence we have on multivitamins and brain health comes from the COSMOS-Mind studies.
These large, long-term trials followed thousands of older adults to see how a daily multivitamin might affect memory and thinking.
In one of the trials, adults over 60 who took a multivitamin every day for two years showed significant improvements in memory and even modest gains in overall cognitive performance compared to those taking a placebo.*
When researchers combined results from this study with two other COSMOS trials covering more than 5,000 participants, the findings were clear: those taking multivitamins consistently did better on memory and cognition tests.
In fact, researchers estimated that taking a multivitamin helped slow global cognitive aging by about two years compared to the placebo.*
The takeaway? A simple daily multivitamin may be one of the easiest and most accessible ways to help keep your brain sharp as you age.*
Finding a multivitamin to support cognition
The COSMOS-Mind research found that a daily multivitamin with more than 20 essential vitamins and minerals helped improve memory and slow cognitive aging.*
But not all multis are created equal. Many formulas on the market are stripped down or underdosed, meaning they don’t come close to the nutrient breadth shown to support brain health in the studies.
mindbodygreen’s ultimate multivitamin+ delivers 27 vitamins and minerals (including all the B vitamins in their most bioavailable form, vitamin D, calcium, and iron).
And, it includes six bioactive compounds (glutathione, resveratrol, piperine, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene) to promote cerebral blood flow, antioxidant capacity, and oxidative balance.*
The takeaway
At mindbodygreen, we believe a high-quality multivitamin is one of most foundational daily habits you can adopt. These supplements help cover the nutritional gaps that even a balanced diet can leave behind, while supporting brain, body, and overall well-being.*
What’s especially exciting is that experts across the globe and large, long-term studies agree that multivitamins can play a meaningful role in protecting memory and cognitive function as we age.*