Scientists from the University of Alicante in Spain have found that excessive intake of iron and zinc supplements may be linked to cognitive decline.
Scientists studied health and nutritional data from hundreds of obese participants and conducted tests to assess their mental abilities.
The analysis, after taking into account influencing factors such as age and educational level, showed that increased iron intake is associated with poorer performance on tasks requiring logical reasoning and cognitive flexibility in overweight adults, while zinc supplementation increases the likelihood of poor performance on working memory-based tasks.
The results raise questions about the impact of excessive use of certain dietary supplements on cognitive health, especially in obese individuals.
Scientists emphasized that these findings are preliminary and require confirmation through long-term clinical trials and biomarker-based research. Health experts also warned that the indiscriminate use of dietary supplements can lead to adverse effects, particularly when combining products containing the same ingredients without considering the total dosage.
