Abstract
Background: Previous epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that dairy products have beneficial effects on cognitive decline and dementia. Enzymatic digestion of whey protein produces a whey peptide rich in tryptophan-tyrosine-related peptides which improve cognitive performance in mice. We evaluated the effects of whey peptides on cognitive functions in healthy adults in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Methods: 101 healthy adults (45 to 64 years), with a self-awareness of cognitive decline received either whey peptide or placebo supplements for 12 weeks. Changes in cognitive function were assessed using neuropsychological tests at 6 and 12 weeks after the start of supplementation. Results: Verbal fluency test (VFT) score changes tended to be higher in the whey peptide group compared with the placebo at 12 weeks. Subgroup analysis classified by the degree of subjective fatigue showed that changes in the VFT as well as the Stroop and subjective memory function tests between baseline and 6 weeks of intervention were significantly better in subjects with high-level fatigue from the whey peptide group as compared to the placebo group. Conclusions: Intake of whey peptide might improve cognitive function in healthy middle- and older-aged adults with high subjective fatigue levels. Further studies will elucidate the relationship among cognitive improvement, whey peptides, and psychological fatigue.
Highlights
With the rapid increase in the world’s aging population, the number of people suffering with dementia and cognitive decline is rapidly increasing
A prospective cohort study surveyed more than 1000 Japanese subjects in a local community and showed that frequent intake of milk and dairy products is associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia [4]
We previously evaluated that 1 g of whey peptide, which is much lower than the amount of whey protein in the previous clinical studies (>20 g) [10,11], displayed an equivalent memory improvement to 1.6 mg of GTWY peptide
Summary
With the rapid increase in the world’s aging population, the number of people suffering with dementia and cognitive decline is rapidly increasing. Recent epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested that consumption of dairy products, including yogurt and cheese, may reduce the risk of cognitive decline in later life [3]. A prospective cohort study surveyed more than 1000 Japanese subjects in a local community and showed that frequent intake of milk and dairy products is associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia [4]. Previous epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that dairy products have beneficial effects on cognitive decline and dementia. We evaluated the effects of whey peptides on cognitive functions in healthy adults in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Methods: 101 healthy adults (45 to 64 years), with a self-awareness of cognitive decline received either whey peptide or placebo supplements for 12 weeks. Results: Verbal fluency test (VFT) score changes tended to be higher in the whey peptide group compared with the placebo at 12 weeks
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