Aging Archives - The Nutrition Supplement Dietitian

Multivitamin Improves Memory in Older Adults, Study Shows

Janet Zarowitz, MS, RD, CDN — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:51:46 +0000

Taking a daily multivitamin supplement can slow age-related memory decline, finds a large study led by researchers at Columbia University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard.

The study showed that the aging brain may be more sensitive to nutrition than realized.

Multivitamin Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Just as the Body Ages, So Too Does the Brain Age

Researchers tested cognitive and memory function in more than 3500 adults, aged 60 and over, comparing those who took a daily multivitamin vs a placebo.

Results were significant. Even after the first year, memory improved for people taking a daily multivitamin vs. those taking a placebo. The improvement was sustained over the three-year study period during which they continued to take the multivitamin.

Researchers estimated the improvement in those taking the daily multivitamin to be equivalent to about three years of age-related memory decline. The improved effect was more pronounced in those with underlying cardiovascular disease.

Does It Matter Which Multivitamin You Take?

This study used Centrum Silver, which has over two dozen vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. All multivitamins differ in their formulations. They vary in the specific vitamins and minerals they contain, the forms and dosages of the nutrients.

My “go-to” multivitamin is Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/Day, as an adjunct to a good diet.

Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/Day contains vitamins in their bioactive/readily usable forms, minerals that are highly absorbable and many nutrients in the forms that occur in nature.

Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/Day contains nutrients not found in most multis, like vitamin K2 (supports heart and bone health), nutrients for macular and retinal health, vitamin D3 and methylated B vitamins and natural forms of vitamin E.

Taken two per day (one in AM and one in PM), the water soluble vitamins stay in a steady state in the body throughout the day and night.

Is Any One Particular Nutrient Responsible for the Cognitive Improvement?

In this study, the researchers did not look at whether any specific component of the multivitamin supplement was linked to improvement in memory.

Researchers believe that the multivitamins may work by providing micronutrients that enhance function of the hippocampus area of the brain. This is the second large study conducted by the researchers to show that memory improved in older adults who took daily multivitamins.

Double blind research studies on multivitamins are rare. That’s because the studies are very expensive to do.

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and also by Mars Edge, a division of Mars, which makes candy, pet food and other products; and Pfizer and Haleon, both makers of multivitamins.

Can’t I Get Enough Nutrients Through Food?

Because of the state of the current food supply, and because very few individuals eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, many nutrition experts (including myself) agree that a multivitamin/mineral supplement should be taken daily. It’s kind of a nutrition “insurance” for the essential nutrients to be consumed on a daily basis.

Even the Journal of the American Medical Association – not usually known as a supporter of nutritional supplements – suggests that everyone should take a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement (JAMA 2002;287:3127-3129).

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You Are Only As Young As Your Mitochondria!

Janet Zarowitz, MS, RD, CDN — Sun, 10 May 2020 19:56:08 +0000

How to Keep Your Mitochondria Healthy and Yourself Young!

Mitochondria are organelles within each cell that produce energy from the food you eat and the oxygen you breathe.

Tissues and organs that require more energy have more mitochondria in their cells because they need more energy. Muscle tissue, the liver, heart and kidneys all have more mitochondria in their cells.

It’s very exciting that scientists have discovered that healthy mitochondria are essential for healthy cellular aging!

What does this mean for you? This means that supporting your mitochondria, keeping them healthy and maintaining a high density of them may help support you to age healthfully and gracefully.

Strategies to Support Your Mitochondria

Eat a clean unprocessed diet with lots of healthy fruits and vegetables and foods high fiber and healthy fats (wild caught fish, grass fed meat, avocados, nuts and seeds) to support your mitochondria. And stay well-hydrated too. Emphasize greens, sulfur-rich and detoxifying cruciferous vegetables, brightly colored fruit and vegetables.
Minimize processed flours, added sugars, trans fats
Support your gut health with diet and protocols to keep you regular (important for immune health and for detoxifying)
Maintain your muscle mass with strength training, high-intensity interval training and gentle outdoor exercise
Nutrition supplements that protect mitochondria include Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), Glutathione, CoEnzyme Q10, Tru Niagen Pro 1000 mg, alpha-lipoic acid, resveratrol, berberine, and Acetyl-L-carnitine.

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Nicotinamide Riboside: Supports Mitochondria

Janet Zarowitz, MS, RD, CDN — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 15:54:50 +0000

It’s Not the Fountain of Youth But….

Did you know that Nicotinamide Riboside (a form of vitamin B3, but not niacin), is known to increase the body’s ability to produce energy in the mitochondria?

Nicotinamide Riboside also shows promise to restore the body’s ability to regenerate and repair itself.

“An international study, published in the Journal Science has led to a promising breakthrough in the field of anti-aging medicine. A vitamin called nicotinamide riboside (NR) — already known to boost metabolism — has been found to restore the body’s ability to regenerate and repair itself.

The regenerative capacity of cells and organs deteriorates with age. The “powerhouses” of cell function — called mitochondria — lose energy over time and prevent cells from regenerating as they once did.”

Full article: “Vitamin found to delay aging process in organs.”

Nicotinamide Riboside is found naturally in minute quantities in milk and beer and as a nutrition supplement – Tru Niagen Pro.

Additional properties of Nicotinamide Riboside:

Cognitive and neuroprotective support
Metabolic and weight management support, including insulin sensitivity and support for fatty liver
Promotion of healthy aging via activating the sirtuin enzyme
Endurance support by increasing mitochondrial activity in the muscles, particularly cardiac muscle.
Some dermatologists recommend nicotinamide to prevent common skin cancers in individuals who previously had skin cancer.

More About Nicotinamide Riboside.

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