Jane Brody, Nutrition Recommend Daily Multivitamin for Elderly

NEW YORK--An article appearing in The New York Times and a study in the September Nutrition both state that a daily multivitamin will improve cognitive health in senior citizens. In her Aug. 21 personal health column for The New York Times (www.nytimes.com), Jane Brody touted the benefits of dietary supplements for the cognitive health of adults age 65 and older. However, she made clear from the get-go that "This is not an advertisement for a secret anti-aging formula, but a call to improve your nutrition."

Throughout her article, Brody cited a new study appearing in the journal Nutrition (www.elsevier.nl). In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial, 86 men and women took either a supplement of trace elements and vitamins or a placebo daily for 12 months. Researchers, led by Ranjit Chandra, M.D., from Memorial University of Newfoundland, reported that the supplemented group showed significant improvement in all cognitive tests, excluding long-term memory recall.

The supplement used in the study contained 400 retinol equivalents of vitamin A, 16 mg of beta carotene, 22 mg of thiamine, 1.5 mg of riboflavin, 16 mg of niacin, 3.0 mg of vitamin B6, 400 mcg of folate, 4.0 micrograms of vitamin B12, 80 mg of vitamin C, 40 micrograms of vitamin D, 44 mg of vitamin E, 16 mg of iron, 14 mg of zinc, 1.4 mg of copper, 20 micrograms of selenium, 0.2 mg of iodine, 200 mg of calcium and 100 mg of magnesium. The placebo contained 200 mg of calcium and 100 mg of magnesium. The researchers noted no significant relationship between any single nutrient and improved cognition.

The study's authors speculated that a larger study using higher amounts of nutrients is needed to investigate the effect of a dietary supplement on Alzheimer's. "Such a nutritional approach may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease," they concluded.

Brody, in her article, stated that the elderly might experience nutritional deficiencies due to limited income, difficulty in getting to stores, chronic illnesses or medications that interfere with nutrients and poor appetite. Brody spoke to members of the natural products industry this past May as the keynote speaker at SupplySide East (www.supplysideshow.com).