Society of Meta-Research and Biomedical Innovation, London, UK.
Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
BMC Geriatr. 2022 Oct 23;22(1):817. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03521-6.
Ketosis has been exploited for its neuroprotective impact and treatment of neurological conditions via ketone production. Exogenous medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) supplementation may induce nutritional ketosis. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the effects of MCTs on memory function in older adults without cognitive impairment.
A systematic literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science was employed from inception until April 2022 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, investigating the impact of MCT oils on components of memory. Risk of bias (RoB2) tool was utilized for quality assessment.
Six trials were included for qualitative synthesis, in which two studies examined the effect of MCTs through a ketogenic meal. MCT supplementation compared to controls was associated with improved indices of memory function in 4 out of 6 studies, particularly working memory. A meta-analysis was not employed due to the low number of studies, therefore, a true effect measure of MCT supplementation was not explored.
MCT supplementation may enhance working memory in non-demented older adults. These effects may be more prominent in individuals with lower baseline scores, from short and long-term supplementation. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings in terms of optimal dose and MCTs composition, which may protect from memory decline during aging.
酮症已被用于通过酮体生成来发挥其神经保护作用和治疗神经疾病。外源性中链甘油三酯（MCT）补充可能会诱导营养性酮症。本系统评价的目的是探讨 MCT 对无认知障碍的老年人群记忆功能的影响。
根据系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南，对 PubMed、Cochrane 图书馆、Scopus 和 Web of Science 进行了系统的文献检索，检索了从开始到 2022 年 4 月期间的随机对照试验（RCT），以研究 MCT 油对记忆成分的影响。使用风险偏倚（RoB2）工具进行质量评估。
纳入了 6 项定性综合研究，其中 2 项研究通过生酮饮食研究了 MCT 的作用。与对照组相比，MCT 补充与 6 项研究中的 4 项记忆功能指标的改善相关，特别是工作记忆。由于研究数量较少，因此未进行荟萃分析，因此未探讨 MCT 补充的真实效应量。
MCT 补充可能会增强非痴呆老年人群的工作记忆。在基线评分较低的个体中，短期和长期补充可能会产生更明显的效果。需要进一步的研究来确认这些发现，包括最佳剂量和 MCT 组成，这可能有助于预防衰老过程中的记忆下降。
