TY - JOUR
T1 - A randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigating the acute and chronic benefits of American Ginseng (Cereboost®) on mood and cognition in healthy young adults, including in vitro investigation of gut microbiota changes as a possible mechanism of action
AU - Bell, Lynne
AU - Whyte, Adrian
AU - Duysburgh, Cindy
AU - Marzorati, Massimo
AU - Van den Abbeele , Pieter
AU - Le Cozannet, Romain
AU - Fança-Berthon, Pascale
AU - Fromentin, Emilie
AU - Williams, Claire
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/8/15
Y1 - 2021/8/15
N2 - Purpose: Cereboost®, an American ginseng extract, has shown improved short-term memory and attention/alertness in healthy young and middle-aged individuals, potentially via modulation of the gut microbiome and upregulation of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine. Here, we explored the effects of Cereboost® on cognition and mood in the first 6 h post intervention (acute), after 2 weeks daily supplementation (chronic), and whether 2 weeks daily supplementation altered the response to a single acute dose (acute-on-chronic). A concurrent in vitro study evaluated effects of repeated Cereboost® administration on human gut microbiota. Methods: Cognitive effects of Cereboost® were assessed using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with 61 healthy young adults. Modulation of the gut microbiome was concurrently modelled using the Simulator of the Human Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME®), using a young adult donor. Results: Consistent with previous findings, Cereboost® improved working memory and attention during the immediate postprandial period; effects that were amplified following two weeks’ treatment (acute-on-chronic) compared to acute testing alone. Chronic supplementation improved cognition on an acetylcholine-sensitive attention task and improved mental fatigue and self-assurance aspects of mood. The parallel in vitro study revealed significantly increased acetate, propionate, and butyrate levels in simulated proximal and distal colon regions, linked with observed increases in Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus. Conclusion: This study confirmed the promising effects of Cereboost® on cognitive function and mood, while suggesting a possible link to alterations of the gut microbiome and modulation of acetylcholine. Further studies will be required to unravel the underlying mechanisms that are involved. Registration: The study was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 6th July 2018 (Identifier: NCT03579095).
AB - Purpose: Cereboost®, an American ginseng extract, has shown improved short-term memory and attention/alertness in healthy young and middle-aged individuals, potentially via modulation of the gut microbiome and upregulation of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine. Here, we explored the effects of Cereboost® on cognition and mood in the first 6 h post intervention (acute), after 2 weeks daily supplementation (chronic), and whether 2 weeks daily supplementation altered the response to a single acute dose (acute-on-chronic). A concurrent in vitro study evaluated effects of repeated Cereboost® administration on human gut microbiota. Methods: Cognitive effects of Cereboost® were assessed using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with 61 healthy young adults. Modulation of the gut microbiome was concurrently modelled using the Simulator of the Human Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME®), using a young adult donor. Results: Consistent with previous findings, Cereboost® improved working memory and attention during the immediate postprandial period; effects that were amplified following two weeks’ treatment (acute-on-chronic) compared to acute testing alone. Chronic supplementation improved cognition on an acetylcholine-sensitive attention task and improved mental fatigue and self-assurance aspects of mood. The parallel in vitro study revealed significantly increased acetate, propionate, and butyrate levels in simulated proximal and distal colon regions, linked with observed increases in Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus. Conclusion: This study confirmed the promising effects of Cereboost® on cognitive function and mood, while suggesting a possible link to alterations of the gut microbiome and modulation of acetylcholine. Further studies will be required to unravel the underlying mechanisms that are involved. Registration: The study was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 6th July 2018 (Identifier: NCT03579095).
KW - American ginseng
KW - Cognition
KW - Gut microbiome
KW - Mood
KW - SCFA
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112455972&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/61eea09b-312b-31b3-98e1-b0e4dd72105d/
U2 - 10.1007/s00394-021-02654-5
DO - 10.1007/s00394-021-02654-5
M3 - Article
VL - 61
SP - 413
EP - 428
JO - European Journal of Nutrition
JF - European Journal of Nutrition
SN - 1436-6207
IS - 1
ER -