Acute Post-Prandial Cognitive Effects of Brown Seaweed Extract in Humans.

Crystal Haskell-Ramsay,Philippa Jackson,Joanne Forster,Jocelyn Bérubé,Carey Levinton,David Kennedy,Fiona Dodd

doi:10.3390/nu10010085

Crystal Haskell-Ramsay, Philippa Jackson + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10010085

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(Poly)phenols and, specifically, phlorotannins present in brown seaweeds have previously been shown to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase, key enzymes involved in the breakdown and intestinal absorption of carbohydrates. Related to this are observations of modulation of post-prandial glycemic response in mice and increased insulin sensitivity in humans when supplemented with seaweed extract. However, no studies to date have explored the effect of seaweed extract on cognition. The current randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel groups study examined the impact of a brown seaweed extract on cognitive function post-prandially in 60 healthy adults (N = 30 per group). Computerized measures of episodic memory, attention and subjective state were completed at baseline and 5 times at 40 min intervals over a 3 h period following lunch, with either seaweed or placebo consumed 30 min prior to lunch. Analysis was conducted with linear mixed models controlling for baseline. Seaweed led to significant improvements to accuracy on digit vigilance (p = 0.035) and choice reaction time (p = 0.043) tasks. These findings provide the first evidence for modulation of cognition with seaweed extract. In order to explore the mechanism underlying these effects, future research should examine effects on cognition in parallel with blood glucose and insulin responses.

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The relationship between plasma glucose and cognitive function follows an inverted-U dose response curve [1] and as such, it is beneficial to control the amount of glucose available from food in order to avoid large deviations from the optimal required for cognitive functioning
The results presented here are promising and indicate a benefit to cognition following a brown seaweed extract. These effects were shown following a supplement containing the equivalent of 10 g of dried seaweed, suggesting that these benefits could be obtained from dietary intake
These studies should investigate the effects on cognition in combination with glucoregulatory measures to verify the importance of this mechanism

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Introduction

The relationship between plasma glucose and cognitive function follows an inverted-U dose response curve [1] and as such, it is beneficial to control the amount of glucose available from food in order to avoid large deviations from the optimal required for cognitive functioning. GI results in a rapid increase in plasma glucose, whereas a slower more sustained increase is observed following a low GI food [2]. A number of studies have demonstrated that consumption of a low GI food has beneficial effects on cognition when compared to high GI food (see [3] for systematic review). Findings in this area are mixed and it is difficult to draw firm conclusions due to differences between the interventions, other than their GI.

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