Context: A new Mass General Brigham study suggests that daily Multivitamin supplements improve memory and slow cognitive ageing in older adults. In a meta-analysis of 5,000 participants, including more than 500 who underwent in-person assessments over two years, multivitamins showed benefits for memory and global cognition.
Alzheimer’s disease:
- Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. It is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioural and social skills that affect a person’s ability to function independently.
- Causes: The disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells.
- One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells.
- The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells.
- Symptoms: Early signs include forgetting recent events/conversations. Later, the person will develop severe memory impairment and lose the ability to carry out everyday tasks. In the advanced stages, complications from severe loss of brain function result in death.
- Treatment: Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but certain medications can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms.
