Dietary Black Raspberry Supplementation as Natural Polyphenol Source Against Mild Dementia Patients with Overweight and Helicobacter pylori Infection

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. H. pylori infection and overweight have been implicated in AD via the gut-brain axis (GBA). This study aimed to determine supplementation of BRBs has a meaningful effect on the H. pylori infection, overweight and AD development in a clinical trial setting. We conducted a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients with mild clinical dementia who also had H. pylori infection and overweight. The study was carried out over 10 weeks, consisting of an 8-week intervention period (25g powder of black raspberries, BRBs, or placebo twice a day, morning and evening) and a 2-week follow-up. The primary outcomes were changes in Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Urea Breath Test (UBT), and Body Mass Index (BMI). Consumption of BRBs improved cognitive functions (p<0.00001), compared to the placebo group (p>0.05). Besides, BRB ingestion decreased H. pylori infection and BMI (p<0.00001 and p<0.05 respectively) while placebo group stay statistically the same (p=0.98 and p=0.25 respectively). BRBs significantly decreased inflammatory markers, improved oxidative index, adiponectin (p<0.05) compared to placebo group, while adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and leptin did not significantly change. BRBs modulated the abundance of several fecal probiotics, particularly, Akkermansia muciniphila. Our results provided that BRBs suppressed H. pylori infection and decreased BMI and rebalancing the gut microbiome, which could improve cognitive functions in AD patients. Longer and larger randomized clinical trials of BRB interventions targeting H. pylori infection, overweight, or AD are warranted to confirm the results from this pilot trial. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05680532