Department of Applied Health Sciences, Section of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Azienda di Servizi alla Persona-ASP, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Nutr Neurosci. 2012 Mar;15(2):46-54. doi: 10.1179/1476830511Y.0000000032. Epub 2011 Dec 20.
Age-related changes in nutritional status can play an important role in brain functioning. Specific nutrient deficiencies in the elderly may exacerbate pathological processes in the brain. Consequently, the potential of nutritional intervention to prevent or delay cognitive impairment and the development of dementia is an important topic. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial has been performed in 25 elderly subjects (86 ± 6 years, 20 females, 5 males) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). These subjects were randomly assigned to supplement their diet with either an oily emulsion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-phospholipids containing melatonin and tryptophan (11 subjects) or a placebo (14-matched subjects) for 12 weeks. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the dietary supplement on cognition, by the assessment at the start and after 12 weeks of: (1) Orientation and other cognitive functions: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); (2) Short-term memory: digit, verbal, and spatial span (digit span; verbal span; Corsi's test); (3) Long-term memory: Rey's auditory-verbal learning test; 'short story' test; Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (recall); (4) Attentional abilities: attentive matrices; (5) Executive functions: Weigl's sorting test; phonological fluency 'FAS'; (6) Visuo-constructional and visuo-spatial abilities: copy of simple drawings; Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (copy); (7) Language: semantic fluency; (8) Mood: Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Moreover, Sniffin' Sticks olfaction test and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) have been performed. After 12 weeks, a significant treatment effect for the MMSE (P < 0.001) and a positive trend for the semantic verbal fluency was found in the supplement group (P < 0.06). A significant treatment effect was found out for the olfactory sensitivity assessment (P < 0.009). As regards the nutrition evaluation, after 12 weeks of treatment the supplemented group showed an improvement in the MNA score with a significant difference relative to placebo (P < 0.005). Older adults with MCI had significant improvements in several measures of cognitive function when supplemented with an oily emulsion of DHA-phospholipids containing melatonin and tryptophan for 12 weeks, compared with the placebo.
年龄相关的营养状况变化可能在大脑功能中起重要作用。老年人特定的营养缺乏可能会加重大脑中的病理过程。因此，营养干预以预防或延缓认知障碍和痴呆发展的潜力是一个重要的课题。一项随机、双盲、安慰剂对照试验已经在 25 名轻度认知障碍（MCI）的老年受试者（86±6 岁，20 名女性，5 名男性）中进行。这些受试者被随机分配，在 12 周内补充含有褪黑素和色氨酸的二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）磷脂油性乳液（11 名受试者）或安慰剂（14 名匹配的受试者）。本研究的主要目的是通过评估以下各项在认知方面的功效来评估饮食补充剂的疗效：（1）定向和其他认知功能：简易精神状态检查（MMSE）；（2）短期记忆：数字、言语和空间跨度（数字跨度；言语跨度；科西测试）；（3）长期记忆：雷伊听觉语言学习测试；'小故事'测试；雷伊-奥斯特里茨复合图（回忆）；（4）注意力能力：注意力矩阵；（5）执行功能：魏尔智力测试；语音流畅性'FAS'；（6）视空间和视空间能力：简单图纸的复制；雷伊-奥斯特里茨复合图（复制）；（7）语言：语义流畅性；（8）情绪：老年抑郁量表（GDS）。此外，还进行了嗅觉测试和微型营养评估（MNA）。12 周后，发现补充组在 MMSE 方面有显著的治疗效果（P<0.001），语义语言流畅性呈阳性趋势（P<0.06）。嗅觉敏感性评估显示出显著的治疗效果（P<0.009）。关于营养评估，经过 12 周的治疗，补充组的 MNA 评分有所改善，与安慰剂相比有显著差异（P<0.005）。与安慰剂相比，补充含褪黑素和色氨酸的二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）磷脂油性乳液 12 周后，患有轻度认知障碍的老年人在几项认知功能测试中均有显著改善。
