Lack of effect of 1 year intake of a high-dose vitamin and mineral supplement on cognitive function of elderly women

Objective: To determine if long-term, high-vitamin supplementation could re verse cognitive malfunction in old people. Methods: We performed a longitud inal study relating the 12-month outcome to baseline va lues. Twenty non-vi tamin-deficient elderly females with a Folstein mini mental state examinati on score indicating cognitive malfunctions were recruited to ascertain if f eeding a high-dose vitamin-mineral supplement for 1 year could, by mass vit amin action, reverse some existing cognitive malfunctions. Ten females were fed a high-dose vitamin-mineral supplement pill with each of three daily m eals for 1 year; the other 10 did not receive this supplementation, Twelve blood vitamin analyses and a Folstein mini mental state examination were pe rformed for each of the 20 subjects before and after 1 year; each subject s erved as its own control, Results: No improvement in cognitive malfunction was noted despite elevation of blood vitamins, Conclusion: Feeding of a hig h-dose vitamin and mineral supplement for 1 year did not improve cognitive malfunction in non-vitamin-deficient elderly in this study.