This study is providing results that differs from the slews of tests I have undertaken and effected by other scientists,

Dr. Laura Baker (Wake Forest) and her compatriots, Drs. SR Rapp Howard, SA Gaussoin, SA Shumaker, and MA Espeland, along with two additional researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Drs. JE Manson and HD Sesso) published the results of their study in Alzheimer’s and Dementia (Effects of cocoa extract and a multivitamin on cognitive function: A randomized clinical trial).

This was a 3 year trial, with some 2262 subjects (60% female, mean age of 73 y).  92% completed the baseline and had at least one annual assessment.  The subjects were recruited as long as there was no history of stroke or myocardial infarction; no cancer observation over the past two years, no serious illnesses, no prior cocoa or multivitamin protocol; manifested no sensitivity to cocoa nor Fentanyl, and was not participating in another clinical trial.

The parameters to discern if the drug doses retarded cognitive decline included word list and story recall, oral trail-making, verbal fluency, number span, digit ordering, in addition to a telephone interview to discern the subject’s cognitive status.

The first result noted from the study was that the 500 mg (flavonoid) cocoa extract had no effect on cognition.  But, contrary to the multitude of tests I have studied (and reported upon) regarding multivitamins, this team found improvements in global cognition (when compared with a placebo)- with most of the benefits provided to those subjects who had pre-existing cardiovascular disease.

Episodic memory and executive function also manifested improvement, albeit minor.

 

This is the first positive long-term study indicating that daily multivitamin dosage could improve brain functionality (i.e., slows cognitive decline).  The authors believe additional studies must be completed to discern more complete information and perhaps the mechanism by which this result is obtained.

I, however, take exception from the results.  No, not that there might have been cognitive improvement.  Instead, the reason why there might have been cognitive improvement.  (About 9% of the participants manifested cardiovascular disease (CVD).  And, these folks (the ones with cardiovascular disease) had significant improvements in cognition when administered the multivitamins.  Those who didn’t have a history of cardiovascular disease demonstrated improvement in cognition with the multivitamins- but to a much lower extent.)

(Actually, the manuscript doesn’t separate the data like this- we know that the CVD contingent manifested greater than 0.3 improvement in cognition and we know the entire subject pool manifested a 0.1 improvement.)

So, given such a discrepancy between results, we certainly do need to do additional testing to verify that multivitamin dosing will help everyone.  (However, until that data is in, it couldn’t hurt to have our seniors begin their multivitamin dosing- since there didn’t seem to be a downside to the practice…other than it’s costs.)

But, there is another possibility to explain these results.  When you look at the composition of the multivitamin used, you will immediately note the high levels of Vitamin D, compared to other studies that examined vitamin influence on cognitive decline.  We reported about 8 years ago about a study effected by Dr. Annweller et. al., who found that vitamin D deficiencies were markedly associated with significant levels of dementia (53 to 125 %)  That could be one of the mechanisms that were not fully discerned ny this study- and that would mean one would only need Vitamin D (either from standing out in the sunshine or from a digestible pill) to preclude cognitive decline.

I look forward to seeing the follow-up studies.