The Effects of Dietary Taurine-Containing Jelly Supplementation on Cognitive Function and Memory Ability of the Elderly with Subjective Cognitive Decline

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary taurine-containing jelly supplementation on cognitive function and memory ability of the elderly. The jelly used in the study contained 3 g of taurine and was reprocessed in the soft state like pudding considering the safe intake and preference and provided for 4 weeks. The cognitive function and memory ability of subjects were assessed by MMSE-DS (Mini-Mental State Examination-Dementia Screening), DST (Digit Span Test), K-BNT (Korean version-Boston Naming Test), and K-SVLT (Korean version-Seoul Verbal Learning Test) and were conducted in a face-to-face survey. The subjective memory of subjects was assessed by a self-recording method. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0. The results were compared before and after 4 weeks of dietary taurine-containing jelly supplementation. The subjects were 26 elderly Koreans (8 male, 18 female) with subjective cognitive decline with an average age of 72.3 years. The total average score of MMSE-DS in all subjects increased from 25.9 points before dietary taurine-containing jelly supplementation to 26.4 points 4 weeks after supplementation, but there was no significant difference. The total average scores of DST-F, K-BNT, and K-SVLT were significantly higher 4 weeks after supplementation (65.7, 51.7, and 17.8 points) than before supplementation (60.6, 46.5, and 15.2 points) (p < 0.01). In particular, the score of DST-F showed significant difference only in the female elderly (p < 0.001). The score for subjective memory showed significant difference 4 weeks after supplementation (3.0 points) than before supplementation (2.6 points) (p < 0.05). Especially, it increased significantly only in the female elderly (p < 0.01). These results show that dietary taurine-containing jelly supplementation has positive effects on the memory ability of the elderly with subjective cognitive decline. Therefore, it is suggested to supplement products for the elderly, such as pudding or jelly, with dietary taurine to improve memory ability and cognitive function of the elderly.

Keywords: Cognitive function; Elderly; Memory ability; Taurine; Taurine jelly.