Hi Friends,
There’s exciting news in the world of brain health. A new study called COSMOS-Mind was just published in the journal of “Alzheimer’s and Dementia.” This was a large randomized control trial done at Harvard comparing a multivitamin to a placebo. They found that adults over the age of 65 who took a multivitamin daily for 3 years, showed significant improvement in global cognition, memory, and executive function compared to a placebo. Here’s the link to the study:
https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/alz.12767
Speaking of the brain, if you haven’t had a chance to watch my latest video on Alzheimer’s, please check it out.
I was intrigued by this study, which led me to take a closer look at the exact ingredients in the multivitamin that was given to the participants. I won’t mention the brand here, but I was shocked to discover it had many undesirable “filler” ingredients and the less-preferred forms of several vitamins.
I’m happy to report we offer a high quality Multivitamin With Iron and Multivitamin Without Iron. Typically, menstruating women need the one WITH iron. Men and women in menopause typically use the the one without iron.
These Multivitamins have the B12 and Folate in the correct methylated forms, as well as all the trace minerals the body needs. Unfortunately, a lot of our produce these days is grown on soil with suboptimal nutrients, which is why supplementation makes a difference. Most importantly, our Multivitamins DO NOT contain fillers, dyes, and other chemicals you want to avoid.
Check out the inactive ingredient list of your vitamins. Does it resemble the label of a processed food? If so, it may not be ideal.
In the diagram above, I list things you want to check for in your vitamins that you should avoid.
👎 Colors and dyes like Red 40, Blue 2, and Yellow 6 should be avoided since some people are sensitive and it can affect mood, or even trigger headaches.
👎 Calcium Carbonate is a cheap form of calcium (similar to what is found in Tums) that is poorly absorbed and can deposit in the coronary arteries. Chelated calciums are preferred.
👎 Rather than Folic Acid, Methyl Folate is preferred since many people have the MTHFR gene mutation and can’t process Folic Acid.
👎 B12: Avoid Cyanocobalamin. Methylcobalamin (Methyl B12) is preferred as it has a greater impact on mood, and works regardless of your MTHFR gene status.
👎 Magnesium Oxide is harsh on the gut and can affect absorption of other vitamins. Chelated Magnesiums are preferred.
👎 Titanium dioxide is found in sunscreen. You don’t want to ingest that!
👎 Finally, BHT is a preservative.
Taking a high quality Multivitamin daily is a great way to keep your nutrient levels optimized, boost your mood, energy and immune system, and prevent diseases.
Cheers to staying healthy!
Rajsree Nambudripad, MD
Dr. Rajsree is a caring and compassionate physician, who is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Integrative/Holistic medicine. She is passionate about helping patients optimize their health through a preventative approach involving healthy lifestyle, dietary changes, targeted nutritional supplementation, and optimizing hormones. Her practice is unique in the personalized attention she devotes to each and every patient.