A double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in Human Psychopharmacology (August 2010;25(6):448–461) examined the effects of multivitamin supplementation on cognition, mood, and fatigue in healthy adult women.
The study involved 216 women between the ages of 25 and 50 who were randomly assigned to receive either a daily multivitamin or a placebo for nine weeks. Cognitive performance was assessed using a multi-tasking framework designed to measure speed, accuracy, fatigue, and mood under cognitive demand.
Compared to the placebo group, women receiving the multivitamin showed improved task speed and accuracy, along with better mood and reduced fatigue during cognitive testing. The findings suggest that correcting marginal micronutrient insufficiencies may support cognitive efficiency and resilience, particularly under mental stress.
While this study does not suggest that multivitamins enhance intelligence or replace targeted nutritional strategies, it does support the idea that baseline micronutrient status can influence cognitive performance and perceived mental energy, even in otherwise healthy adults.
