Investigating the Effects of a Multinutrient Supplement on Cognition, Mood and Biochemical Markers in Middle-Aged Adults with ‘Optimal’ and ‘Sub-Optimal’ Diets: A Randomized Double Blind Placebo Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Previous randomized controlled trials examining cognitive and mood effects of combination multivitamin supplements in healthy, non-clinical adults have reported mixed results. One purported explanation for this is that the dietary status of participants at the start of supplement interventions may influence the magnitude of the effect of supplementation. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the effect of a multinutrient formula containing B group vitamins, Bacopa monniera and Ginkgo biloba on memory, attention, mood and biochemical markers of nutrient status in middle-aged adults (M = 52.84 years, n = 141) with ‘optimal’ and ‘sub-optimal’ diets over 12 weeks. We hypothesised that active supplementation would differentially improve memory and attention in those with a ‘sub-optimal’ diet. Results: Mixed model, repeated measures analysis revealed that, in comparison to placebo, active treatment was associated with significant increases in B vitamin status (B1, B6, B12). Regarding behavioural outcomes there was no significant benefit to memory (F(1, 113.51) = 0.53, p = 0.470) nor attention (F(1,113.77) = 1.89, p = 0.171) in the whole cohort. Contrary to our hypothesis, there was a significant beneficial effect of supplementation on attentional performance in individuals with an ‘optimal’ diet prior to supplementation (F(1,57.25) = 4.94, p = 0.030). In the absence of a main effect of supplementation across the entire cohort, there were also a number of significant three-way interactions (treatment by time by diet group) detected in secondary outcomes including lower state anxiety and mental fatigue in those with an ‘optimal’ diet. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the cognitive benefit of B vitamin and herbal supplementation may be dependent on diet quality, supporting the concepts of ‘co-nutrient optimisation’ and interdependency of nutrients. This warrants further investigation. This study advocates characterising the diet of participants prior to supplementation as it may influence the effect of a nutraceutical intervention.

Towards consistency in dietary pattern scoring: standardising scoring workflows for healthy dietary patterns using 24-h recall and two variations of a food frequency questionnair

“…Even in the MAST population, only two participants achieved a MeDi score ≥ 10. This is despite the trial’s intentional recruitment strategy, aiming for diversity in diet quality by including 50 % of the population adhering to an ‘optimal’ diet and the other 50 % to a sub-optimal diet scored through the Diet Screening Tool ( 25 ) . While there were still only two participants in this trial with a MeDi score ≥ 10, geographical variations might also contribute to the observed low adherence, particularly given the documented low adherence to vegetables in Australian populations ( 52 ) .…”

“…The three clinical trials included comprised the Memory and Attention Supplement Trial (MAST) NCT03482063 ( 25 ) , the Phospholipid Intervention for Cognitive Ageing Reversal (PLICAR) trial ACTRN12613000347763 ( 26 ) and the Cognitive Ageing Nutrition and Neurogenesis (CANN) trial NCT02525198 ( 27 , 28 ) . The MAST trial evaluated the impact of a 12-week intervention of vitamin B and herbal supplementation on cognition and mood in healthy middle-aged adults, while the PLICAR trial explored the neurocognitive effects of a 6-month supplementation with a phospholipid-rich milk protein (Lacprodan® PL-20, Arla Foods Ingredients, Denmark).…”

Effects of a Flavonoid-Rich Blackcurrant Beverage on Markers of the Gut-Brain Axis in Healthy Females: Secondary Findings From a 4-Week Randomized Crossover Control Trial

“…The Australian modification of the DST [ 26 , 27 ] was used, requiring only minimal adaptation to the New Zealand context (e.g., updating the name of popular fast food restaurants). The DST comprises 20 items, with 18 items related to the frequency of consumption of particular foods (e.g., “How often do you usually eat wholegrain breads or crackers?”) and 2 items related to the number of servings consumed (e.g., “How many different vegetable servings do you usually have at your main meal of the day?”).…”

“…A change score (post-MTF − pre-MTF) was calculated to measure the subjective change in mood in response to the cognitive stressor. The questionnaire set has previously been used to measures stress reactivity in response to cognitive demand [ 26 ].…”

Post-Prandial Cognitive and Blood Pressure Effects of a DHA-Rich Omega-3 Powder in Middle-Aged Males: A Pilot Study

“…Cognition was assessed using the SUCCAB [39], a battery of eight computerized cognitive tasks including simple reaction time (SRT), choice reaction time (CRT), immediate (IRM) and delayed recognition memory (DRM), congruent (CS) and incongruent stroop (ICS), spatial working memory (SWM), and contextual recognition memory (CRM). Performance on these tasks has been shown to negatively correlate with age [39], and be modified by nutritional interventions [40,41]. The following is a brief description of each SUC-CAB task.…”