Phytochemicals to optimize cognitive function for military mission-readiness: a systematic review and recommendations for the field.

CONTEXT

Optimizing cognitive performance and preventing cognitive impairments that result from exposure to high-stress situations are important to ensure mission-readiness for military personnel.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review assesses the quality of the evidence for plant-based foods and beverages, or their phytochemical constituents, across various outcomes related to cognitive function in healthy adult populations to develop research recommendations for the military.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library were searched.

STUDY SELECTION

Peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials published in the English language were eligible.

DATA EXTRACTION

Twenty-five trials were included and assessed for methodological quality, and descriptive data were extracted.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The acceptable (n = 16) to high-quality (n = 4) studies produced either no statistically significant effect or mixed results for enhancing cognitive function.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence suggested that healthy populations do not experience significant changes in cognitive performance when consuming soy- and non-soy-sourced isoflavones or cocoa. Heterogeneity among other interventions precluded reaching formal conclusions surrounding the evidence. Research recommendations are offered, including conducting more studies on the effect of plant-based interventions on populations reflective of military populations when exposed to military-like situations.