RationaleA significant proportion of the general population report supplementing their diet with one or more vitamins or minerals, with common reasons for doing so being to combat stress and fatigue and to improve mental functioning. Few studies have assessed the relationship between supplementation with vitamins/minerals and psychological functioning in healthy cohorts of non-elderly adults.ObjectivesThe present randomised, placebo-controlled, double–blind, parallel groups trial assessed the cognitive and mood effects of a high-dose B-complex vitamin and mineral supplement (Berocca®) in 215 males aged 30 to 55 years, who were in full-time employment.MethodsParticipants attended the laboratory prior to and on the last day of a 33-day treatment period where they completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Cognitive performance and task-related modulation of mood/fatigue were assessed with the 60 min cognitive demand battery. On the final day, participants also completed the Stroop task for 40 min whilst engaged in inclined treadmill walking and subsequent executive function was assessed.ResultsVitamin/mineral supplementation led to significant improvements in ratings on the PSS, GHQ-12 and the ‘vigour’ subscale of the POMS. The vitamin/mineral group also performed better on the Serial 3s subtractions task and rated themselves as less ‘mentally tired’ both pre- and post-completion of the cognitive demand battery.ConclusionsHealthy members of the general population may benefit from augmented levels of vitamins/minerals via direct dietary supplementation. Specifically, supplementation led to improved ratings of stress, mental health and vigour and improved cognitive performance during intense mental processing.

The present study examined the impact of breakfast and exercise on postprandial metabolism, appetite and macronutrient balance. A sample of twelve (blood variables n 11) physically active males completed four trials in a randomised, crossover design comprising a continued overnight fast followed by: (1) rest without breakfast (FR); (2) exercise without breakfast (FE); (3) breakfast consumption (1859 kJ) followed by rest (BR); (4) breakfast consumption followed by exercise (BE). Exercise was continuous, moderate-intensity running (expending approximately 2·9 MJ of energy). The equivalent time was spent sitting during resting trials. A test drink (1500 kJ) was ingested on all trials followed 90 min later by an ad libitum lunch. The difference between the BR and FR trials in blood glucose time-averaged AUC following test drink consumption approached significance (BR: 4·33 (SEM 0·14) v. FR: 4·75 (SEM 0·16) mmol/l; P¼ 0·08); but it was not different between FR and FE (FE: 4·77 (SEM 0·14) mmol/l; P¼ 0·65); and was greater in BE (BE: 4·97 (SEM 0·13) mmol/l) v. BR (P¼0·012). Appetite following the test drink was reduced in BR v. FR (P¼0·006) and in BE v. FE (P¼ 0·029). Following lunch, the most positive energy balance was observed in BR and least positive in FE. Regardless of breakfast, acute exercise produced a less positive energy balance following ad libitum lunch consumption. Energy and fat balance is further reduced with breakfast omission. Breakfast improved the overall appetite responses to foods consumed later in the day, but abrogated the appetite-suppressive effect of exercise.Key words: Appetite: Fasted state: Glycaemia: Fat oxidation Regular breakfast consumption has been inversely associated with BMI (1) , yet it is not clear whether this association is due to differences in energy expenditure, metabolism or energy intake. Although the ostensible benefits of regular breakfast consumption could be due to improved diet composition with breakfast cereals (1) , rather than meal pattern per se, acute consumption of breakfast can enhance glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and subjective and physiological satiety responses to a test drink (2) .A recent position statement concluded that further research is required in regular exercisers with regards to meal pattern, metabolism and appetite regulation (3) , as research in exercising individuals in this area is sparse. However, this population do use diet/exercise strategies, such as training in the fasted state, to control body fat/mass and improve metabolic adaptations to training (4) . Exercise attenuates adverse dietary outcomes such as fat-induced glucose intolerance (5) , and the nutritional state in which exercise is performed can modulate the magnitude of these improvements (5) . Exercise in the fasted state results in a greater reliance on fat as a substrate (6) and has led to its use as a tool to reduce body fat by athletes (4) . Training in the fasted state also leads to enhanced fat transporter protein mRNA content (5) , mitochondrial enzyme a...

David (2012) Epigallocatechin gallate, cerebral blood flow parameters, cognitive performance and mood in healthy humans: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover investigation. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 27 (2 Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University's research output. Copyright © and moral rights for items on NRL are retained by the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. Single copies of full items can be reproduced, displayed or performed, and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given, as well as a hyperlink and/or URL to the original metadata page. The content must not be changed in any way. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holder. The full policy is available online: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/policies.html This document may differ from the final, published version of the research and has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies. To read and/or cite from the published version of the research, please visit the publisher's website (a subscription may be required.) RESULTS:During the post-dose task performance period the administration of 135 mg EGCG resulted in reduced CBF in the frontal cortex, as indexed by significantly lower concentrations of both oxygenated and total haemoglobin, in comparison to placebo. Heart rate was significantly reduced from pre-to post dose across all treatments. No significant differences were observed for the level of deoxygenated haemoglobin or on any of the cognitive performance/mood measures. CONCLUSIONS:These results demonstrate that a single dose of orally administered EGCG can modulate CBF parameters in healthy humans but that this is not associated with changes in cognitive performance or mood.

1Cerebral blood volume and metabolism of oxygen declines as part of human ageing and this has been 2 previously shown to be related to cognitive decline. There is some evidence to suggest that 3 polyphenol-rich foods can play an important role in delaying the onset or halting the progression of 4 age-related health disorders such as cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease, and to improve cognitive 5 function. In the present study, an acute, placebo-controlled, double blinded, cross-over, randomised 6Latin square design study with a wash-out period of at least 14 days was conducted in twenty-seven 7 middle aged (defined as 45-60 years) volunteers. Participants received either a 60 mL dose of a 8

Exercise undertaken in a fasted state can lead to higher post-exercise mental fatigue. The administration of a vitamin and mineral complex with guaraná (MVM + G) has been shown to attenuate mental fatigue and improve performance during cognitively demanding tasks. This placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, balanced cross-over study examined the effect of MVM + G consumed prior to morning exercise on cognitive performance, affect, exertion, and substrate metabolism. Forty active males (age 21.4 ± 3.0 year; body mass index (BMI) 24.0 ± 2.4 kg/m2; maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) 57.6 ± 7.3 mL/min/kg) completed two main trials, consuming either MVM + G or placebo prior to a 30-min run at 60% V̇O2max. Supplementation prior to exercise led to a small but significant reduction in Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) during exercise compared to the placebo. The MVM + G combination also led to significantly increased accuracy of numeric working memory and increased speed of picture recognition, compared to the placebo. There were no significant effects of supplementation on any other cognitive or mood measures or on substrate metabolism during exercise. These findings demonstrate that consuming a vitamin and mineral complex containing guaraná, prior to exercise, can positively impact subsequent memory performance and reduce perceived exertion during a moderate-intensity run in active males.