Medical experts have found that taking a daily multivitamin can ward off cognitive decline by up to two years, according to a new study out of Massachusetts General Hospital.

Cognitive decline is one of the first and primary symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia diseases, which combined affect 55 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

“Cognitive decline is among the top health concerns for most older adults, and a daily supplement of multivitamins has the potential as an appealing and accessible approach to slow cognitive aging,” said the first author of the new study Chirag Vyas.

The new findings, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that a daily multivitamin of 20 essential nutrients “helps prevent memory loss and slow down cognitive aging,” according to senior author Dr. Olivia Okereke.

The study included assessments of 573 individuals over two years. Those who were taking the multivitamin, compared to a placebo group, saw significant benefits to their memory’s ability to learn, store and retrieve information.

Researchers also found improvements in areas of orientation, attention, language fluency and related abilities known as global cognition by up to two years as well.

Fellow Brigham and Women’s Hospital researcher Howard Sesso called the discovery “exciting” and evidence that multivitamins are safe and a potentially beneficial health support supplement.

“It is now critical to understand the mechanisms by which a daily multivitamin may protect against memory loss and cognitive decline with a focus on nutritional status and other aging-related factors,” Sesso said.

Recently, a dentist spoke up on how maintaining quality oral health was tied to preventing mental decline and exercise was also connected to the prevention of these sorts of neurodegenerative diseases.