Centrum Silver 50+ Vitamins
I’ve never been a supplement person. My diet is pretty healthy, and my bloodwork is generally very good, so I’ve not seen the need to add more to my daily routine. Vitamin supplementation in particular always seemed like a marketing gimmick. As a youngster I remember chuckling at the corny Centrum Silver Ads. But, after coming across some recent research suggesting multivitamins can help slow brain aging and support cognitive health in older adults, I’ve changed my mind.
I’ve started taking a Centrum Silver for Men 50+ multivitamin. Not because I believe it’s a “silver bullet”, but because it might help fill in a few nutritional gaps. Lori has started taking the Centrum Silver for Women 50+.
The research: a modest memory boost
Three major studies from the COSMOS project (Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study) tested the effects of Centrum Silver in adults over 60. Here’s what they found:
Older adults taking a daily multivitamin showed better memory performance than those on placebo.
Benefits were small but statistically significant: about the equivalent of two years' less cognitive aging.
Improvements appeared as early as one year after starting and were sustained over multiple years.
These weren’t miracle cures. But they suggest that a basic multivitamin might help slow age-related memory decline — especially for those with borderline or low nutrient intake.
Daily multivitamin supplementation, compared with placebo, improves memory in older adults. Multivitamin supplementation holds promise as a safe and accessible approach to maintaining cognitive health in older age.
Why it might work
As we get older, our bodies don’t absorb nutrients as efficiently. Even with a good diet, it’s easy to fall short on key micronutrients (B and D vitamins, zinc, magnesium, etc.) that are essential for brain health.
Multivitamins are meant to supplement, not replace, a healthy diet. But keeping those levels topped off may help support any number of metabolic processes in addition to cognition in subtle but meaningful ways.
What it means for your second fifty
For most of us in our 50s, 60s and beyond, a good multivitamin is a low-risk, potentially helpful addition to the daily routine. Here’s how I think about it:
It’s not a replacement for the big levers: exercise, nutrition, sleep, social connection.
But it might be a useful “insurance” backstop — a way to support brain health while we focus on the fundamentals.
It’s easy, affordable, and well-tolerated. I don’t expect magic, just maybe a small edge.
I don’t feel any smarter after starting to take a multivitamin. But I do feel better knowing I’m covering my nutritional bases a little more. It’s one more way to stack the deck in favor of a healthy second fifty years.
Before you start
Talk to your doctor: especially if you’re on medications or have kidney/liver issues.
Choose wisely: look for a reputable manufacturer - the research used Centrum Silver, and I like this brand. Centrum makes a general 50+ as well as one for men, and one for women.
Stay realistic: This is about nudging the odds in your favor — not preventing dementia.
Want to go deeper?
Here are links to the research:
COSMOS-Web memory study: PubMed summary
Mass General overview: Memory benefits and multivitamins
🤣 This is pretty funny!
Check out this Racy Centrum Silver Ad that was produced but never aired because it was considered too risqué!
I filmed an updated fifteen-minute basic mobility routine. It comprises three parts: upper body, lower body and shoulders. I’ve been refining this one for many years. I always do the upper body portion to start each day. I often vary the next two segments. But I always do the entire sequence as filmed to warm up and prepare my body before I play tennis or other strenuous sports. This is an effective and simple basic routine you can do every day.
These are dynamic stretches, as opposed to static, long hold stretches.
Dynamic movements wake up and energize your muscles and tissue to prepare you for strenuous activity, increasing blood flow, testing end range of motion.
Static stretches elongate muscles and connective tissue and loosen stiff joints so you regain and maintain flexibility. They increase range of motion. You don’t do these before strenuous activity.
If you’re not warming up before engaging in strenuous sporting endeavors - pickleball, golf, tennis, hiking, skiing, you are risking injury.
As a newsletter subscriber you have access to my six part Mobility Reboot Series, which is comprised entirely of static, long hold stretches to get your body aligned and moving well. (Email me if you’ve forgotten your password)
Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to complete this basic sequence in fifteen or twenty minutes. At first it might be tough and feel awkward. That means you need it! Just be patient, go slow, and soon you will find it a great way to start the day and a great way to warm up! Any questions, send me an email.
The SecondFifty Website has been refreshed to more clearly express the core principles of the SF philosophy and approach to longevity. Still lots more to do! Send me suggestions of what you would like to see covered.
Thank you to everyone who sent in suggestions for my recent knee setback. I’ll give an update and share your feedback in an upcoming newsletter. The good news - I have seen much improvement!
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Who Sent this Newsletter:
I’m George Harrop, founder of SecondFifty — an online resource for people who want to prioritize their health and fitness by taking a common-sense approach to living a vital and fulfilling second fifty years.
Many middle-aged men and women have spent the previous decades building careers and raising families.
Now we’re committed to getting and staying fit during the second half of our lives. We’re on a mission to age with more agility and ease!
George is not a medical professional. This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice.
