Effects of sulforaphane intake on processing speed and negative moods in healthy older adults: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Rui Nouchi; Qingqiang Hu; Yusuke Ushida; Hiroyuki Suganuma; Ryuta Kawashima

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.929628

Effects of sulforaphane intake on processing speed and negative moods in healthy older adults: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Jul 29:14:929628. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.929628. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Rui Nouchi^{1

2}, Qingqiang Hu³, Yusuke Ushida³, Hiroyuki Suganuma³, Ryuta Kawashima^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cognitive Health Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
² Smart Aging Research Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
³ Innovation Division, KAGOME CO., LTD., Nasushiobara, Japan.
⁴ Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have reported that sulforaphane (SFN) intake with cognitive training had positive effects on cognitive functions. However, it is still unknown whether SFN intake alone has beneficial effects on cognition as well as mood. We investigated whether a SFN intake intervention improved cognitive performance and mood states in healthy older adults.

Methods: In a 12-week, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT), we randomly assigned 144 older adults to a SFN group or a placebo group. We asked the participants to take a supplement (SFN or placebo) for 12 weeks. We measured several cognitive functions, mood states, and biomarkers before and after the intervention period.

Results: The SFN group showed improvement in processing speed and a decrease in negative mood compared to the placebo group. In addition, the SFN group exhibited a higher SFN-N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) level compared to the placebo group. However, there were no significant results in other biomarkers of oxidant stress, inflammation, or neural plasticity.

Discussion: These results indicate that nutrition interventions using SFN can have positive effects on cognitive functioning and mood in healthy older adults.

Keywords: biomarker; mood state; nutrition; processing speed; sulforaphane.