News from the WHI Study

Investigators from COSMOS-Mind, a National Institute on Aging-funded ancillary study of the WHI-affiliated COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) based at Wake Forest University, presented their initial findings at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease meeting on November 10th, 2021. COSMOS-Mind followed 2,262 participants over the course of three years, examining the effects of cocoa extract and a multivitamin on cognitive function.

Daily multivitamin use was found to improve cognitive function, as participants taking the multivitamin had higher cognitive test scores after 3 years than those participants who took the placebo. Cocoa extract did not have significant effects on cognition. It is noted, however, that separate studies are ongoing which continue to dig more deeply into the effects of both cocoa extract and multivitamins on different aspects of cognition.

These findings are the first to be presented from COSMOS. The main trial findings about the effects of the study supplements on cardiovascular disease and cancer will be available later in 2021 or early in 2022.

For more information, please review study communications sent to COSMOS-Mind participants and all COSMOS participants.