At a glance
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A Randomized, Double-blinded, Clinical Trial on Effects of a Food Supplement on Cognitive and Neuropsychological Functioning in Healthy Older Adults.
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Vitis vinifera extract and Placebo for Cognitive Decline and Neurophysiologic Abnormality. Completed, enrolled 111 participants.
Detailed Summary
The increase in life expectancy is associated with a gradual aging of the population so creating new needs arising from this new situation. Memory ability declines with age and memory deficits are regarded as an initial symptom of dementia of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) type, one of the most prevalent cognitive disorders in older people. States and scientific community have been called to find preventive strategies acting against the consequent physiological cognitive decline with the aim to attenuate the increase of dementia. Numerous studies have shown that polyphenolic compounds derived from multiple dietary sources, and more specifically the polyphenolic compounds found in grapes (GP), are able to attenuate the cognitive impairment and in reducing neuropathological lesions in the brain in experimental animal models for the study of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) . In recent years, several in vivo studies have shown that oral administration of polyphenols from grapes improves antioxidant status in the brain and prevents neuronal damage induced by free radicals. The intake of proanthocyanidins, especially in the monomeric form, showed to produce an improvement of cognitive function in an Alzheimer's disorder animal model. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed by the investigators with the aim to evaluate potential beneficial effects of a Vitis vinifera-based food supplement on cognitive functioning and neuropsychological status in healthy older adults aging 55-75 years. For the enrollment, mental status was evaluated through the Mini-Mental State Exam, a test able to provide quickly a screen of orientation, providing a rapid screen of recall, language, orientation, registration, attention and calculation. 111 subjects were recruited and, after obtaining the informed consent, successively randomly divided in two groups: Group 1, N = 57 to be treated for 12 weeks with Vitis vinifera extract (verum 250 mg/day); Group 2, N = 54 to be treated for 12 weeks with placebo. Cognitive functioning and neuropsychological status were evaluated at the beginning (before treatment) and a the end of treatment by using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status.