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According to one study, having a high BMI rather than high blood sugar levels is related with a greater risk of COVID-19 infection and persistent COVID.

Dr. Anika Knuppel of the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London, UK, and colleagues presented their findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, this year (19-23 Sept).

“Early in the pandemic research identified diabetes and obesity as risk factors for becoming severely ill with COVID-19. And we know that many people living with type 2 diabetes are also carrying excess weight. Our early findings support the idea that obesity-related mechanisms may be responsible for the excess risks of COVID-19 associated with diabetes, rather than high blood sugar per se,” says Dr Knuppel.

Previous studies found that patients with diabetes and obesity are more likely to become extremely sick and die if they develop COVID-19, but not to contract it. The underlying processes, however, and their relevance in lasting post-COVID-19 symptoms (long COVID), remain unknown.

To learn more, researchers examined nine ongoing UK cohort studies for associations between a variety of clinical characteristics measured before the pandemic—HbA1c (average blood sugar level), self-reported or medication-based diabetes, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)—and self-reported COVID-19 infection and long COVID.

The analyses included the most recent measurements (taken between 2002 and 2019) of HbA1c, weight, height, waist and hip circumference from each study as well as information from questionnaires on health and lifestyle.

All eligible participants (maximum 31,252, aged 19-75 years old, 57% female) had data on previous measurements and completed at least one questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic (May 2020 to September 2021) covering questions on COVID-19 and, where possible, questions on the length of ongoing COVID-19-related symptoms.

Participants reported having COVID-19 based on a positive test or strong suspicion. Long COVID was defined as symptoms that went on or affected functioning for longer than four weeks post-infection and were compared to those reporting symptoms for less than four weeks.

Where possible, associations were adjusted for sex, smoking, ethnicity, income, and education at the time of measurement.

Between May 2020 and September 2021, 5,806 participants reported ever having COVID-19, and 584 reported having long COVID (around 7% of COVID-19 cases with information on symptoms length).

Analysis of data from 31,252 participants in nine studies found higher BMI was associated with greater odds of COVID-19 infection–with the risk 7% higher for each 5kg/m2 increase in BMI. People with overweight (BMI 25-29.9kg/m2) and obesity (30 kg/m2 or greater) had 10% and 16% greater odds of COVID-19 infection, respectively, than healthy weight individuals (less than 25 kg/m2; see the figure in notes to editors).

Similar results were observed for long COVID (4,243 participants, six studies)–with the risk 20% higher for each 5kg/m2 increase in BMI. People with overweight and obesity had 20% and 36% greater odds of long COVID, respectively. However, for both COVID infection and long COVID associations with categories of BMI were not all statistically significant (so we cannot be sure they are not due to chance).

Analysis investigating the association with WHR were inconclusive.

Notably, studies focusing on average blood sugar level (HbA1c) and diabetes (15,795 participants and 1,917 for long COVID) revealed no association with COVID-19 or long-COVID.

The researchers stress the need for further research to explore the mechanisms underpinning these associations and to reduce the excess risk associated with high BMI. “Our early findings suggest a link of adiposity with COVID-19 infection and long COVID-19 even after taking into account socio-demographic factors and smoking. We need to further explore what makes people with overweight and obesity at risk of worse outcomes and how this relates to severe cases”, says Knuppel.

The authors note that the study was observational and cannot establish that having a higher BMI increases the likelihood of COVID-19 infection, nor can they rule out the potential that other unmeasured variables (e.g., underlying diseases) or missing data influenced the findings.

They also note out that COVID-19 was detected based on suspicion rather than a positive test, and that clinical assessments collected before to the pandemic may be out of date in several of the included investigations. Finally, they point out the research participants were in better health than the general population, which may restrict the conclusions that may be derived.

Also Read: Covid case update: India reports 5,747 cases in 24 hrs

People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who get cancer are more likely to die in the next seven years if they smoke or are physically sedentary, according to a recent study.

Cancer has recently surpassed cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of mortality among diabetics.

“Individuals with type 2 diabetes disease have a longer life expectancy today than in previous decades,” says Dr Tinne Laurberg, of the Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, who led the research. “This is likely due to a combination of improvements in diabetes treatment and in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

“As the proportion of deaths from heart disease has declined, however, the proportion due to cancer has increased and, as a result, individuals with type 2 diabetes are now more likely to die from cancer than from cardiovascular disease.

“Knowing more about the factors that affect the survival of individuals with type 2 diabetes is key to stemming this rise.”

Dr. Laurberg and colleagues in Denmark and Sweden investigated the characteristics that influence the survival of persons with type 2 diabetes who acquire one of four types of cancer: breast, lung, prostate, or colorectal.

The study comprised 655,344 people with T2D who were reported in the Swedish National Diabetes Register between 1998 and 2019, with 43% of them being women. When the study was conducted, the average age was 63 years.

Participants were tracked for an average of seven years. They were all cancer-free at the start of the trial, but 32,366 acquired one of the four malignancies throughout the follow-up period.

179,627 individuals died during course of the study. Those with cancer were almost three times (2.89 times) more likely to die of any cause than those without cancer.

Data on modifiable diabetes-related risk factors, such as HbA1c (average blood sugar level), cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, hypertension, BMI, smoking and physical activity, was obtained from the diabetes register.

Analysis showed low physical activity and smoking to be the two risk factors most strongly linked to the death of individuals with diabetes and cancer. Smokers were more than twice as likely (2.15 times) to die during the course of the study as non-smokers. Low levels of physical activity (less than 3-5 days/week) were associated with a 1.6 increase in the risk of death.

Smoking and diabetes

Smoking and lack of exercise also had the strongest associations with premature death in those with diabetes but without cancer.

Dr Laurberg says: “Smoking and low physical activity are habits that people probably have had throughout their lives and so may therefore have contributed both to the occurrence of diabetes and of cancer.

“Our results suggest that these factors not only contribute to the occurrence of these two diseases but may increase the risk of an early death after diabetes and/or cancer occur.”

The researchers conclude that smoking and physical activity may be the two most important risk factors for mortality in people with T2D, whether or not they have cancer.

Dr Laurberg adds: “It is important that clinicians and public health practitioners continue to focus on smoking cessation and an active lifestyle at all stages of life. The results of this study suggest this to be the case after a diabetes diagnosis; regardless of the presence of cancer.”

Also Read: Hay fever associated with asthma in children: Study

India reported 5,747 fresh Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Saturday.

India’s active caseload currently stands at 46,848 which accounts for 0.11 per cent of the total infections. According to the Health Ministry, the country has seen 5,618 recoveries from the infection in the last 24 hours which has taken the total recoveries to 4,39,53,374. The total recovery rate is currently 98.71 per cent.

The daily positivity rate stood at 1.69 per cent while the weekly positivity rate is at 1.74 per cent.

So far, India has conducted a total of 89.12 crore Covid tests, of which 3,40,211 were conducted in the last 24 hours alone.
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.

Covid vaccination

The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination began on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on 21st June 2021.

Meanwhile, as part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them with COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalisation of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.

Under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive, out of the total of 216.17 crore Vaccine doses for Covid-19 infection (94.62 cr Second Dose and 19.14 cr Precaution Dose) have been administered so far, 23,92,530 doses have been jabbed in the last 24 hours.

According to the ministry, more than 216.41 crores (2,16,41,70,550) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through the government of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category and more than 3.94 Crore (3,94,02,820) balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.

Also Read: Researchers find exercise might be a developing treatment for movement disorders

A study of students undertaken by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that the majority of children with asthma also had allergic rhinitis, popularly known as hay fever. The symptoms of hay fever include a runny nose, sneezing, congestion, and sinus pressure, and it can worsen asthma.

Jessica Stern, M.D., an assistant professor in the department of Pediatrics and the division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, led the study, which showed that children who had both asthma and hay fever had lower asthma outcomes. The study’s findings were reported in the Journal of Asthma.

This study examined data from three NIH-funded studies including 1,029 Rochester schoolchildren with asthma (directed by Jill Halterman, M.D., professor in the department of Pediatrics). The studies’ major purpose was to see if giving children preventative asthma drugs at school improved their asthma symptoms. While the majority of children in these studies had better asthma symptoms after receiving their drugs, a subset of children did not. This encouraged the researchers to investigate additional health issues that may have prevented the youngsters from receiving a complete therapeutic response.

“Through our study, we found that many of the children who did not report improved symptoms had allergic rhinitis in addition to asthma, and these children had more asthma symptoms, used their rescue medication more, and missed more school days compared to those without allergic rhinitis,” said Stern.

This study examined data from three NIH-funded studies including 1,029 Rochester schoolchildren with asthma (directed by Jill Halterman, M.D., professor in the department of Pediatrics). The studies’ major purpose was to see if giving children preventative asthma drugs at school improved their asthma symptoms. While the majority of children in these studies had better asthma symptoms after receiving their drugs, a subset of children did not. This encouraged the researchers to investigate additional health issues that may have prevented the youngsters from receiving a complete therapeutic response.

Importantly, less than half of the children with hay fever were receiving proper treatment for their symptoms, including nasal sprays and recommended anti-histamines; nor had they been seen by asthma or allergy specialists.

“This is critical because it highlights gaps in care and needed treatments, which may contribute to the disparities in asthma outcomes that we see in children who primarily identify as Black or Latino, or are from low resourced communities,” said Stern. “These findings also encourage a focus on contributing environmental factors and the social determinants of health for these children. The burden of allergic disease is often under-recognized and undertreated in historically marginalized populations, and we have an opportunity and obligation to address this to improve outcomes.”

Dr. Stern will be continuing this work to understand the multiple influences in a child’s life that impact their asthma. She has grant funding from the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Award, NHLBI, and the URMC Quality Institute.

“We are working to create a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to overcome structural obstacles to equitable care for children with asthma. This will involve collaboration with caregivers and patients to plan systems of care that work for them. We understand that families are the experts, and we have to listen to what they think,” said Stern.

Also Read: Balanced meal timing may enhance brain health: Study

In mice affected by SCA6, the McGill team, led by biology professor Alanna Watt, found that exercise restored the health of cells in the cerebellum, the part of the brain implicated in SCA6 and other ataxias.

Spinal cerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6) is a genetic neurological disorder that causes problems with motor coordination. Medical experts have given little attention to SCA6 since it affects just around one in 100,000 persons. There is presently no known cure and just a few treatment options.

The findings of the study “Activation of TrkB – Akt signaling rescues deficits in a mouse model of SCA6” by Anna Cook et al. was published in Science Advances. Now, a team of McGill University researchers specializing in SCA6 and other forms of ataxia, have published findings that not only offer hope for SCA6 sufferers but may also open the way to developing treatments for other movement disorders.

Exercise in a pill

In mice affected by SCA6, the McGill team, led by biology professor Alanna Watt, found that exercise restored the health of cells in the cerebellum, the part of the brain implicated in SCA6 and other ataxias. The reason for the improvement, the researchers found, was that exercise increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a naturally occurring substance in the brain which supports the growth and development of nerve cells. Importantly for patients with a movement disorder, for whom exercise may not always be feasible, the team demonstrated that a drug that mimicked the action of BDNF could work just as well as exercise, if not better.

Early intervention crucial

The researchers also discovered that BDNF levels in SCA6 mice declined well before movement difficulties began to appear. The drug, they found, worked to arrest the decline only if it was given before the onset of outwardly visible symptoms.

“That’s not something we really knew about SCA6,” said lead author Anna Cook, a Ph.D. candidate in Professor Watt’s lab. “If there are these early changes in the brain that people don’t even know about, it tends to advocate for more genetic screening and early intervention for these rare diseases.”

Also Read: Repeated infections associated with increased risk of some neurodegenerative diseases: Study

Dementia affects over 55 million individuals globally, and its incidence has gradually increasing. The population is predicted to quadruple by 2050, with the greatest growth occurring in low- and middle-income nations. Dementia not only diminishes people’s quality of life, but it also imposes huge financial costs on families and society meal.

Epidemiological studies have found a link between the time distribution of energy intake throughout the day (TPEI) and the risk of developing chronic illnesses including diabetes and hypertension. However, research on the link between TPEI and cognitive performance in the general population is limited. Previous research in animal models has demonstrated that disrupting meal time might change clock rhythms in the hippocampus, impacting cognitive performance.

A short-term intervention study of 96 young people found that splitting similar amounts of food over four meals between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. improved cognitive performance more than eating twice between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. However, long-term research on TPEIs and cognitive performance is insufficient.

Recently, Drs Changzheng Yuan and Dongmei Yu at Zhejiang University published a paper in Life Metabolism entitled “Temporal patterns of energy intake and cognitive function and its decline: a community-based cohort study in China” Based on the China Nutrition Health Survey (CHNS) public database, a total of 3,342 participants were included in this study, who were middle-aged and older adults (mean age 62 years) from nine provinces in China with a baseline age >= 55 years.

The researchers used: 1) A data-driven k-means algorithm to identify six patterns of TPEIs, including “evenly-distributed” pattern, “breakfast-dominant” pattern, “lunch-dominant” pattern, “dinner-dominant” pattern, “snack-rich” pattern, and “breakfast-skipping” pattern; 2) Cognitive function was assessed using the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-m), comprising immediate and delayed word recalls (20 points), backward counting (2 points), and serial-7 subtraction test (5 points).

The total global cognitive score ranged from 0 to 27, with a higher score representing a better cognitive function; 3) The correlation of TPEIs to cognitive function over 10 years was assessed using linear mixed models (LMMs), which were adjusted for age, gender, residence, total energy, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, household income, education level, and body mass index (BMI).

The result showed that, compared with those with an “evenly-distributed” pattern, the long-term cognitive function scores were significantly lower in those who had unbalanced TPEIs, especially those with a “breakfast-skipping” pattern. Thus, maintaining balanced TPEIs has potentially positive effects on cognitive health, whereas skipping breakfast may significantly increase the risk of cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of optimal TPEIs in cognitive function.

Also Read: Repeated infections associated with increased risk of some neurodegenerative diseases: Study

According to a new study, infections treated with specialty hospital care in early and mid-life are related with an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s diseases (PD), but not amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Animal studies have shown that infection has a role in the development of various neurodegenerative disorders, but human data is lacking.

In the new study, researchers used data on people diagnosed with AD, PD or ALS from 1970-2016 in Sweden and five matched controls per case, all identified from the Swedish National Patient Register. The analysis included 291,941 AD cases, 103,919 PD cases and 10,161 ALS cases. A hospital-treated infection 5 or more years before diagnosis was associated with a 16% higher risk of AD (95%CI: 1.15-1.18, P < 0.001) and a 4% higher risk of PD (95%CI: 1.02-1.06, P < 0.001), with similar risks seen for bacterial, viral and other infections and for different sites of infection.

The highest risk of disease was seen in people with multiple hospital-treated infections before the age of 40, with more than double the risk of AD (OR=2.62, 95%CI: 2.52-2.72, P < 0.001) and more than 40% increase in the risk of PD (OR=1.41, 95%CI: 1.29-1.53, 3 44 P < 0.001). No association was observed for ALS, regardless of age at diagnosis.

“These findings suggest that infectious events may be a trigger or amplifier of a pre-existing disease process, leading to clinical onset of neurodegenerative disease at a relatively early age,” the authors say, while also pointing out that “due to the observational nature of the study, these results do not formally prove a causal link.”

Sun adds, “Hospital-treated infections, especially in early- and mid-life, were associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), primarily among AD and PD cases diagnosed before 60 years.”

Also Read: Fitness trackers help researchers identify links between exercise and mental health

A new research headed by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and outside colleagues builds on previously published work by integrating more races and ethnicities.

The researchers discovered that particular plasma metabolites—substances produced by the body when it digests food—were linked to global cognitive function scores across a wide range of races and ethnicities. Their findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Alzheimer’s Association Journal.

“Our study has huge strengths in expanding the sample size and in adding demographics compared to what previous research has done,” said Tamar Sofer, Ph.D., and director of the Biostatistics Core Program in Sleep Medicine Epidemiology and a member of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at the Brigham.

Tamar added, “It also illustrates that studies that begin by focusing on minorities can give rise to insights that may be beneficial to other populations. We hope our findings will help people in making specific nutritional choices and in improving their cognitive health.”

Researchers may now find biomarkers linked to health changes and illnesses using techniques such as metabolomic profiling, which can assess hundreds of compounds in blood samples. An first investigation in Boston of elderly persons of Puerto Rican heritage discovered a variety of metabolites linked to evaluated cognitive abilities.

Researchers may now find biomarkers linked to health changes and illnesses using techniques such as metabolomic profiling, which can assess hundreds of compounds in blood samples. An first investigation in Boston of elderly persons of Puerto Rican heritage discovered a variety of metabolites linked to evaluated cognitive abilities.

Building off that work, Brigham researchers tested metabolite-cognitive function associations in 2,222 U.S. Hispanic/Latinx adults from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), and in 1,365 Europeans and 478 African Americans from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study. They then applied Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses to determine causal associations between the metabolites and cognitive function, as well as between a Mediterranean diet and cognitive function.

The team discovered that six metabolites were consistently associated with a lower global cognitive function across all of the studies. Four of them were sugars or derivatives of sugars. Another metabolite, beta-cryptoxanthin, was associated with a higher global cognitive function in the HCHS/SOL and is also strongly correlated with fruit consumption.

“It is possible that these metabolites are biomarkers of a more direct relationship between diet and cognitive function,” said lead author Einat Granot-Hershkovitz, Ph.D., who worked on this study as a postdoctoral fellow in Sofer’s lab at Brigham.

Diet itself can be an important source of many metabolites, including some with positive or negative associations with cognitive function. In this study, the Mediterranean diet score was associated with higher levels of beta-cryptoxanthin, which was positively associated with cognitive function. The Mediterranean diet was also negatively associated with the levels of other metabolites, which were associated with lower cognitive function. Previous research has also shown that adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with cognitive benefits.

While the study did have limitations like its cross-sectional, observational design which limited conclusions about the potential influence of modifying metabolite levels on cognitive function (causal inference), the researchers attempted to use MR analyses to account for unmeasured confounding and establish some level of causal inference. Their results showed weak causal effects between specific metabolites and global cognitive function.

The researchers recommend that future studies assess metabolite associations with cognitive function and work to evaluate whether observed associations indeed indicate that changes in diet – manifesting in changing metabolite levels – can improve cognitive health.

“While the causal effect seen in our study may be weak, repeated research has shown that the Mediterranean diet is associated with better health outcomes, including cognitive health,” said Sofer. “Our study further supports the importance of a healthy diet towards safeguarding cognitive function, consistent across races and ethnicities.”

Also Read: Regular vitamins may boost memory in older persons: Study

Exercise can enhance your cognitive and mental health, but not all types and intensities have the same effect on the brain. A recent Dartmouth study finds that the impacts of exercise are far more subtle, with certain intensity levels of exercise over time connected with distinct components of memory and mental health.

The findings, which were published in Scientific Reports, offer insight into how exercise may be improved. “Mental health and memory are fundamental to practically everything we do in our daily lives,” says Dartmouth assistant professor of psychology and brain sciences Jeremy Manning.

“Our research aims to provide the groundwork for understanding how varying levels of physical activity influence different areas of mental and cognitive health.”

The researchers invited 113 Fitbit users to complete a series of memory tests, answer some mental health questions, and disclose their exercise data from the previous year. They anticipated more active people to have better memory and mental health, but the results were more complicated. People who exercised at moderate intensities performed better on some memory tests, whereas those who exercised at high intensities fared better on others.

Participants who were more physically active reported greater levels of stress, whereas those who exercised at a lesser intensity on a regular basis reported lower levels of anxiety and despair.

Prior study has frequently focused on the effects of exercise on memory over a relatively short term, such as a few days or weeks, but Dartmouth researchers sought to investigate the impacts over a much longer timeframe. The data included daily step counts, average heart rates, the amount of time spent exercising in several FitBit “heart rate zones” (rest, out-of-range, fat burn, cardio, or peak), and other information gathered over a complete calendar year. The study’s participants were recruited online using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, a crowdsourced workforce.

The study’s four types of memory tasks were designed to test different aspects of participants’ abilities over different timescales. Two sets of tasks were designed to assess “episodic” memory, which is used to recall autobiographical events such as what you did yesterday. Another set of exercises was created to assess “spatial” memory, which is useful to recall locations such as where you parked your car. The final series of activities examined “associative” memory, or the capacity to recall links between concepts or memories.

Participants who had been more active in the previous year had improved overall memory performance, but the precise areas of improvement relied on the sort of exercise they undertook.

The researchers discovered that people who exercised frequently at moderate intensities performed better on episodic memory tests, whereas participants who exercised frequently at high intensities performed better on spatial memory tasks. Sedentary individuals who rarely exercised performed worse on spatial memory tasks.

The researchers also discovered links between individuals’ mental health and memory ability. Participants who reported anxiety or depression performed better on spatial and associative memory tests, whereas those who claimed bipolar illness performed better on episodic memory tasks. Participants with higher levels of stress performed worse on the associative memory tests.

All of the team’s data and code are publicly available on Github to anybody who wants to examine or better understand the dataset.

“There’s a really nuanced relationship at play when it comes to physical exercise, memory, and mental health that cannot be summed in simple terms like ‘walking helps your memory’ or’stress affects your memory,'” says Manning. “Rather, various types of physical exercise and different characteristics of mental health appear to influence each part of memory differently.”

Also Read: Regular vitamins may boost meexercisemory in older persons: Study

The team believes that with future investigation, their discoveries might have some fascinating applications. “For example,” Manning adds, “particular exercise regimes may be devised to help enhance students’ cognitive performance and mental health to help them prepare for a test or minimise their depressive symptoms.”

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According to new research, taking a daily pill may boost memory in older persons. Researchers projected that three years of multivitamin treatment would result in a 60% reduction in cognitive deterioration (about 1.8 years).

The findings were just published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Alzheimer’s Association Journal. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, over 6.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and one in every three seniors dies from the illness or another type of dementia.

“There is an urgent need for safe and affordable interventions to protect cognition against decline in older adults,” said Laura D. Baker, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the trial with Mark Espeland, Ph.D., professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study for the Mind (COSMOS-Mind) was an ancillary study to the COSMOS trial, which was led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and randomised 21,442 men and women across the United States. It was funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.

The study looked at whether taking a cocoa extract supplement or a multivitamin-mineral supplement on a regular basis reduced the chance of acquiring heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other health consequences.

According to Baker, cocoa extract is high in flavanols, and previous study shows that these components may improve cognition. Baker also stated that a variety of micronutrients and minerals are required to maintain normal body and brain function, and that shortages in older persons may raise the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Researchers evaluated whether daily administration of cocoa extract against placebo and a multivitamin-mineral supplement versus placebo improves cognition in older individuals in COSMOS-Mind. More than 2,200 people aged 65 and up signed up and were tracked for three years.

Participants performed telephone tests to assess memory and other cognitive functions at baseline and yearly.

“While cocoa extract had no effect on cognition, regular multivitamin-mineral intake resulted in statistically significant cognitive improvement,” Baker explained. “This is the first indication of cognitive advantage in a major longer-term investigation of multivitamin supplementation in older persons,” the researchers write.

The researchers calculated that three years of multivitamin treatment would result in a 60% reduction in cognitive deterioration (about 1.8 years). The advantages were more obvious in patients who had substantial cardiovascular illness, which is noteworthy because these people are already at a higher risk of cognitive impairment and decline.

Also Read: Recurrence of cancer in immunotherapy patients can have adverse effect

“It is too soon to advocate regular multivitamin intake to avoid cognitive impairment,” Baker says. “While these first findings are encouraging, more study in a broader and more varied group of people is required. Furthermore, further research is needed to determine why multivitamins may help cognition in older persons.”

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