Health
Improving memory may be as easy as popping a multivitamin, study finds: ‘Prevents vascular dementia’
Adults over age 60 who want to stave off memory loss could benefit from taking a daily multivitamin supplement, suggests a recent study from Columbia University in New York and Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard in Boston.
“Daily multivitamin supplementation improved memory in older adults after one year, an effect that was sustained, on average, over the three years of follow up,” Adam M. Brickman, PhD, professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, told Fox News Digital.
During the study — published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition — more than 3,500 adults over age 60 were randomly assigned to take either a daily multivitamin or a placebo for a three-year period.
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At the end of each year, the participants completed self-administered cognitive tests to determine the strength of their memory.
After the first year, those taking the multivitamin showed memory improvement compared to the placebo group — an effect that continued over the entire course of the study.
Adults over age 60 who want to stave off memory loss could benefit from taking a daily multivitamin supplement, suggests a recent study. (iStock)
In a previous 2022 study published in the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Journal, researchers found that older adults who took daily multivitamins experienced improved cognition, memory and executive function.
Study marked by some limitations
The effects of the multivitamin were seen only in certain aspects of memory, pointed out Dr. Owen Deland from the division of geriatrics at the Center for Healthy Senior Living at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. (He was not involved in the study.)
“Improvements were seen in specific areas of memory like immediate recall, but not in executive function (decision-making) or object recognition in the multivitamin group compared with placebo,” Deland told Fox News Digital.
“There are risk factors that we don’t know about yet, and I believe nutrition is a significant one.”
There was also a sampling bias, with the bulk of the patients in the study falling into a certain demographic, as lead researcher Brickman pointed out.
“The study participants were predominantly White with high education, and therefore not representative of the U.S. population,” he told Fox News Digital.
“The demographic composition of the participants limits our ability to generalize the findings.”
“Daily multivitamin supplementation improved memory in older adults after one year, an effect that was sustained, on average, over the three years of follow up,” the study author told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Additionally, the participants were in generally good health without heart disease, cancer or history of stroke, Deland pointed out.
“Whether or not these observations can be applied to the general public remains to be studied,” he said.
Heart disease link interesting to note
People who had cardiovascular disease experienced a bigger memory boost from the multivitamins, the study found.
The heart disease link was particularly interesting to Dr. Donna Raziano, a geriatrician and medical director at Inspira LIFE in New Jersey, who did not work on the study.
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“There are many different types of dementia — vascular, Alzheimer’s, Lewy-Body and mixed,” she told Fox News Digital. “The fact that this study shows prevention of cognitive decline with underlying cardiovascular disease shows that [the multivitamins could] prevent vascular dementia.”
Vascular dementia is a type of cognitive decline caused by impaired blood flow to the brain, per the Mayo Clinic.
While it often occurs after a stroke, it can also result from other conditions that interrupt the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain.
Multivitamins not always essential, but can be beneficial
While it may seem that multivitamins are beneficial to everyone, “the common thinking in the past has been that they don’t benefit older adults, especially in the setting of a healthy, balanced diet,” according to Hackensack’s Deland.
Some large review studies suggest that B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and zinc are most relevant to cognitive performance, a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“However, the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. suggests that there are risk factors we don’t know about yet, and I believe nutrition is a significant one,” he went on.
Given that numerous studies have suggested that diets low in nutrient density or high in highly processed ingredients can increase the chances of someone developing cognitive impairment, Deland believes that supplementing the diet with multivitamins may help preserve cognitive function.
“This is especially important in the care of our elderly population, for whom access to fresh, nutritious food is limited by availability, accessibility and cost,” Deland said.
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“I’ve found that it’s easier to get patient buy-in through suggesting vitamin supplementation rather than just saying, ‘Eat better’ — not to mention that it’s simpler to take one multivitamin than numerous individual vitamin supplements,” he added.
As far as specific vitamins and minerals that actually deliver the memory boost, Deland noted that large review studies suggest that B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and zinc are most relevant to cognitive performance — and that a deficiency in them is relatively common.
Older adults who are considering taking a daily multivitamin should talk to their physicians about whether that supplementation is appropriate for them, the lead author of a new study noted. (iStock)
“And while they are not technically vitamins, the compounds resveratrol (found in grapes, berries and red wine), quercetin (found in unprocessed fruits and vegetables) and curcumin may all have benefit in preserving cognition into later life,” he added.
Vitamin D deficiency is linked to worse cognition in later life, Deland said, while omega-3 fatty acid intake has been shown to aid in memory and cognitive function.
Doctor input is key
Older adults who are considering taking a daily multivitamin should talk to their physicians about whether supplementation is appropriate for them, Brickman noted.
This study was geared toward cognitive or memory changes that occur with normal aging, the researcher pointed out.
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“Our data do not suggest a treatment or preventative strategy for diseases that affect memory, like Alzheimer’s disease,” he clarified.
“If older adults are concerned about their memory, they should seek an evaluation by a memory specialist and/or speak to their doctors about their concerns.”
Particularly for adults who are already taking other supplements, it’s important to check with a doctor before adding a multivitamin to the mix, Raziano noted.
Too many vitamins could cause “toxicity and a potential overdose.”
“There’s always the risk of polypharmacy,” she warned. “We don’t want [people] taking too much of anything, which could lead to vitamin toxicity and a potential overdose.”
Deland agreed with this. “Always discuss supplementation and dietary changes with your doctor,” he said. “While there is a potential benefit to multivitamin supplementation, other supplements may have important interactions with medications or medical conditions.”
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One benefit of multivitamins, however, is that the contents of the pills are pretty tightly controlled, Raziano pointed out.
She recommends going with a high-quality Centrum brand-name multivitamin; check to make sure it’s a fresh, non-expired bottle.
In addition to potentially taking multivitamins, Deland stressed the importance of prioritizing fresh, unprocessed foods and getting frequent aerobic exercise totaling at least 150 minutes weekly, “to preserve your independence and your mind.”
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Health
Chicago nurse is finally free of COVID-19-related PTSD and depression after electrical brain tapping therapy
A Chicago nurse has been liberated from her own mind, thanks to a brain-tapping technology called deep TMS.
Gulden, who requested to omit her surname for privacy reasons, worked as a nurse for more than 40 years before COVID-19 rocked the hospital system and took a toll on her mental health.
The mother of four worked at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Illinois, as an ICU and ER nurse.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Gulden described the “massive chaos” that the 2020 coronavirus pandemic brought to the hospital.
“No matter what we did, it was like a failure,” she said. “We were not prepared [for] the onslaught of patients.”
Housekeeper Tonia Harvey changes a bed in the Roseland Community Hospital intensive care unit after a COVID-19 patient passed away, April 17, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“The predictable outcome of coming in through the ER and leaving in a body bag was just devastating.”
Despite her many years of medical work, New York City-born Gulden admitted that she “could not cope with it.”
By Sept. 2020, she was a “different person,” she said.
“I was on autopilot. I lived at work and when I came home, I was not functioning … My organization and concentration skills were gone.”
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“It was very, very unlike me, because I’m a single mom. I’ve raised four kids all by myself … but I started to notice that I could not let go of what had transpired during the day.”
Gulden told her primary care provider about her symptoms, including “horrible nightmares” that prevented her from sleeping and constant “weeping” that came “from her soul.”
Gulden, pictured here, said that working in a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic turned her into a “different person.” (Melanie Eilers)
In the span of two years, the doctor prescribed Gulden eight different medications for sleep, PTSD and major depressive disorder, along with cognitive behavior therapy — but nothing worked.
Even after the pandemic began to slow down, the nurse described how she hit a “spiral” when she realized COVID-19 created a “chain reaction.”
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“[There] was a 51-year-old who had bilateral tumors and needed a mastectomy,” she shared. “She’d gone through all her chemo and radiation, and she was ready for her mastectomy, but she had to wait like 11 months.”
Added Gulden, “By the time she came back, her tumors had grown back, and that’s when I was like, This is never going to be over.”
Gulden mentioned that screenings for major health complications were down at least 84% during the pandemic, feeding into a “ripple” of patients who received care too late.
Tamara Jones gives antibiotics to James Davis as he recovers from COVID-19 in the intensive care unit at Roseland Community Hospital on Dec. 16, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The nurse said through tears that she decided to leave the hospital and retire, since she “just couldn’t function there.”
After leaving, she fell into a “hibernation state” of sleeping 16 to 18 hours a day.
“The only reason I got up was to go to the bathroom,” she said. “And I’m embarrassed to say I would go weeks without showering.”
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“I lost 54 pounds — I got to the point where I couldn’t eat, because everything in the refrigerator reminded me of what was on patients’ trays.”
Gulden’s “incredibly vivid, horrible nightmares” continued along with other symptoms, including the inability to stay awake. She called it a “complete shutdown.”
Gulden received deep TMS treatment at Relief Mental Health in Orland Park, Illinois. (Melanie Eilers)
After Gulden spent three years in “hibernation,” a friend introduced her to a new type of mental health treatment called deep TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) — a magnetized tapping of the brain used to treat various disorders and diseases.
Gulden agreed to visit Dr. Teresa Poprawski, the chief medical officer of Relief Mental Health in Orland Park, Illinois, who helped “put the threads together” on what was triggering her PTSD and other symptoms.
What is deep TMS?
Dr. Aaron Tendler, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer of BrainsWay, a brain disorder treatment company, discussed how the therapy works in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Tendler is based in West Palm Beach, Florida and was not involved in Gulden’s care. He said the brain is primarily an “electrochemical organ” that sends messages to different parts of the body.
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Most symptoms, including depression and anxiety, are controlled by changes in the brain, Tendler said, which can be treated electrically.
Deep TMS is a more “targeted” approach than electroshock therapy, he told Fox News Digital.
Gulden described the sensation of deep TMS as “tapping on specific parts of the brain.” (iStock; BrainsWay)
“Transcranial magnetic stimulation uses the principle of electromagnetic induction, where magnetic pulses induce an electrical current inside of neurons,” he said.
“Essentially, we are changing the electrical activity in a group of neurons in an area of the brain.”
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These magnetic pulses only stimulate a specific area of the brain for “a brief period of time,” he said, with treatments lasting anywhere from six to 20 minutes. Patients undergo treatments for a series of days, depending on what’s necessary.
Tendler described the therapy as a “learning experience” that changes “the state of the brain” through repetitive treatment.
Deep TMS interrupts activity in the brain that is creating unwanted patterns, an expert said. (BrainsWay)
Gulden received deep TMS treatments for five days a week, for six to eight weeks. She described the sensation as “tapping on specific parts of the brain.”
After three weeks, she reported a noticeable difference in her cognitive state.
“I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s been three years since I’ve heard the birds,’” she said. “I see life again. I see my flowers. Before, I couldn’t even look at the flowers because they just reminded me of funerals.”
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Gulden described her quality of life as “just so much better” since receiving treatment.
She still attends cognitive behavioral therapy sessions to hone her coping skills, she said.
“And if I need deep TMS again, I will be back there in a heartbeat,” she added.
Deep TMS is covered by “every insurer” across the country, according to one expert. (BrainsWay)
‘Very useful tool’
Gulden’s goal is to teach others to not feel ashamed about seeking help for their mental health struggles.
“I want people to know that there are interventions,” she said.
“The meds did not work for me. Had I not had this treatment today, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Although deep TMS technology was developed in the 1980s, the first treatment application for depression was FDA-cleared in 2009. (BrainsWay)
Most patients experience a 40% to 50% improvement after four weeks of treatment, according to Tendler.
After completing a typical course of 36 treatments, patients have shown 75% to 80% improvement, he said.
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Deep TMS is “not a cure,” Tendler said — but many patients are able to regain normal function for months or years at a time.
The electrical therapy doesn’t have the potential side effects that antidepressants and other treatments can cause, Tendler said, noting that the brain manipulation is “temporary.”
“Had I not had this treatment today, I don’t know where I’d be,” Gulden said. (Melanie Eilers)
“I know this might sound like a disadvantage, but it is also an advantage,” he said. “We don’t do anything to the person’s brain that’s permanent. We’re changing the state of the brain temporarily.”
He added, “Generally, we get you out of the state that you were in … and then nature takes its course.”
Deep TMS can also be paired with other medications, such as antidepressants, Tendler added.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel cautioned that deep TMS could potentially cause some cognitive and behavioral changes, but called it a “very useful tool” overall. (Dr. Marc Siegel)
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel cautioned that deep TMS could potentially cause some cognitive and behavioral changes, but called it a “very useful tool” overall.
He told Fox News Digital that deep TMS is also “very useful for movement disorders like Parkinson’s, with a high rate of success.”
“We’re changing the state of the brain temporarily.”
Siegel cautioned that deep TMS could potentially cause some cognitive and behavioral changes, but called it a “very useful tool” overall.
“[Deep TMS is] still being investigated for various purposes to interrupt aberrant nerve conduction,” he said.
For other medical professionals suffering from mental health issues, Gulden stressed the importance of having a “healthy health care team,” especially following the pandemic.
“I don’t care how tough you think you are,” she said. “You need to know what the signs are, and you need to know what treatments are available.”
For more Health articles, visit foxnews.com.com/health.
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