December 23, 2024

Cocoa Extract: A Cognitive Boost for Older Adults With Poor Diets

A study released in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involving 573 older adults, found that cocoa extract supplements enhanced cognition in individuals with bad diet plans however had no result on those with healthy diet plans. The research is part of the larger COSMOS trial exploring the health effects of supplements.Recent research reveals cocoa extract supplements may benefit cognition in older adults with poor diet plans, however not in those with healthy diet plans, according to a research study within the bigger COSMOS trial.Cocoa extract has actually revealed a prospective protective result on cognition however randomized medical trials in older grownups have had inconsistent results. A brand-new study of cognition in a randomized trial, referred to as the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), suggests that taking cocoa extract supplements consisting of 500 mg daily of cocoa flavanols had cognitive benefits for older adults who had lower regular diet quality at the time of enrollment in the study. However, cognitive benefits were not found among individuals who already had healthy dietary patterns at the start of the study.The research study, performed by researchers at Mass General Brigham, consisted of 573 older adults who underwent comprehensive, in-person cognitive screening and was released on December 7 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Study FindingsResults from detailed neuropsychological evaluations provided over two years revealed that daily cocoa extract supplements, compared to placebo, had no total benefits for global or domain-specific cognitive function. Secondary analyses showed that participants with bad diet quality had cognitive advantages from taking the cocoa extract supplement.The findings from this research study– which was done among COSMOS individuals who provided in-person for in-depth cognitive testing– are constant with the outcomes from an earlier study that used a web-based cognitive evaluation offered over the web to an individually recruited set of COSMOS participants.COSMOS Trial and Broader ImplicationsCOSMOS is an investigator-initiated massive, long-term clinical trial led by Brigham and Womens Hospital. More than 21,000 older males and women were enrolled throughout the United States to take part in this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled research study to test whether taking everyday supplements of a cocoa extract or a common multivitamin minimizes the threat for developing heart illness, stroke, cancer, and other essential health results. Analyses of the information from COSMOS continue to yield insights about the connections between supplements and human health.Reference: “Effect of cocoa extract supplements on cognitive function: arise from the center subcohort of the COSMOS trial” by Chirag M. Vyas, JoAnn E. Manson, Howard D. Sesso, Pamela M. Rist, Alison Weinberg, Eunjung Kim, M Vinayaga Moorthy, Nancy R. Cook and Olivia I. Okereke, 7 December 2023, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.DOI: 10.1016/ j.ajcnut.2023.10.031 The research study was led by Mass General Brigham scientists, Dr. Chirag Vyas and Dr. Olivia I. Okereke at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr. Howard Sesso and Dr. JoAnn Manson at Brigham and Womens Hospital.The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) is supported by an investigator-initiated grant from Mars Edge, a segment of Mars dedicated to nutrition research and items, that included facilities assistance and the donation of study pills and packaging. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now Haleon) offered assistance through the partial arrangement of study tablets and packaging. COSMOS is likewise supported in part by grants AG050657, AG071611, EY025623, and HL157665 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. The Womens Health Initiative (WHI) program is moneyed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through agreements 75N92021D00001, 75N92021D00002, 75N92021D00003, 75N92021D00004, 75N92021D00005. Neither Mars Edge nor Pfizer Consumer Healthcare supplied input regarding data analyses, interpretation of outcomes, or manuscript advancement.