Multivitamins (MVM) are among some of the most popular supplements in the world and a quick scan of your supermarket shelves will show that their popularity has drastically increased in the last decade.
Yet studies have shown that there is no extra benefit to taking the supplements when you already eat a healthy and balanced diet. But now, researchers from the UK have found that taking multivitamin supplements could improve general mental health for older adults with findings showing an increase in friendliness and a decrease in stress reactivity and loneliness.
Researchers from the University of Northumbria wanted to learn if supplements could improve cognitive function in older people as it is well known that nutritional deficiency is common in this age group. Improved cognitive abilities (the brain’s ability to perform everyday tasks) after taking vitamin supplements has been observed in younger people but previous studies had found no change for older adults.
As part of the study, participants aged 70 years and over were split into two groups, with one group acting as the “double blind” control group who consumed a placebo and the second group who consumed an MVM tablet once a day with meals for 12 weeks.
Writing in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the team explained that while there was no effect on the primary outcome of wellbeing, the findings showed there was a significant improvement in mood for the MVM consumers.
“MVM resulted in a significant improvement in the mood state of friendliness in females and significantly reduced prolonged stress reactivity, overall perceived stress reactivity, and emotional loneliness in males,” they wrote.
These findings could help lead the fight against the loneliness epidemic as adults aged over 65 report some of the highest levels of loneliness worldwide.
Meanwhile, the team points out that emerging research has shown that the origin of loneliness may have a biological underpinning related to stress.
“As evidenced in the current study, MVM supplementation can affect feelings of stress in older adult populations,” they wrote.
“If supplementation can reduce feelings of stress, this may reduce one pathway to loneliness in older adults, but early intervention may be key.”
While the findings are promising, researchers warned that MVM supplements are not a quick fix and further research was required in this area.
“Based on the results of this study it is suggested future work should encompass a wider range of outcome measures, moving away from the traditional cognitive testing models, consider sex differences in response to supplementation, and target specific demographics who will benefit the greatest from supplementation,” they wrote.
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.