Nutrition for cognition: Certain blood nutrients improve cognitive performance, study finds

21 Dec 2018 --- Key nutrients in the blood are linked to enhanced brain connectivity and performance in older adults, according to a study published in the journal Neurolmage. The study included 116 healthy adults ranging from 65 to 75 years old and focused on 32 key nutrients in the Mediterranean diet, which has previously been linked to better brain function in the aging. The findings highlight the role of food in boosting cognitive performance.

“We wanted to investigate whether diet and nutrition predict cognitive performance in healthy older adults,” says Christopher Zwilling of the University of Illinois.

Furthermore, the study found that different nutrient patterns moderate different areas of the brain. Omega 3 fatty acids are linked to a healthy frontoparietal network and general intelligence. The frontoparietal network helps one focus and engage in goal-directed behavior.

The nutrient patterns that were identified include: 

• Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish, walnuts and Brussels sprouts.
• Omega 6 fatty acids, found in flaxseed, pumpkin seeds and pistachios.
• Lycopene, a vivid red pigment in tomatoes, watermelon and other fruit and vegetables.
• Alpha- and beta-carotenoids, which give sweet potatoes and carrots their orange color.
• Vitamins B and D.

The research was carried out at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, led by Zwilling in collaboration with Aron Barbey, Psychology Professor at the University of Iowa. 

Barbey says the research was carried out by looking for patterns of nutrient “biomarkers” in the blood, rather than a food-intake questionnaire. Additionally, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the performance of the various brain networks.

“The basic question we were asking was whether diet and nutrition are associated with healthy brain aging,” Barbey says. “And instead of inferring brain health from a cognitive test, we directly examined the brain using high-resolution brain imaging.”

The efficiency of the brain networks is linked to how the information is communicated, he notes, and how well the information is shared within a spatially confined set of brain regions, as well as “global efficiency,” a term which reflects how many steps it takes to transfer information from any one region to any other in the network.

“If your network is more efficiently configured, then it should be easier, on average, to access relevant information and the task should take you less time,” Barbey adds.

The participants also completed several cognitive tests. Analysis of the test found a correlation between several nutrient biomarkers in the blood and enhanced performance on specific cognitive tests. The nutrients identified include omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, carotenoids, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, lycopene and folate. The researchers also found that omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and carotenoids promote functional brain network efficiency.

“Our study suggests that diet and nutrition moderate the association between network efficiency and cognitive performance. This means that the strength of the association between functional brain network efficiency and cognitive performance is associated with the level of the nutrients,” Barbey says.

The researchers called 40 of the participants back for a second analysis, roughly two years after the first tests, to test the stability of the nutrient-biomarker patterns over time. The results remained unchanged in this sample group as well. 

“Because we're investigating how groups of nutrients work together, we're getting a more accurate snapshot of how the body processes these nutrients and how they can impact the brain and cognitive health,” Zwilling says, highlighting the need for further research on the matter.

A previous study by University of Illinois and Professor Barbey also found that monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) – a class of nutrients found in olive oils, nuts and avocados – are linked to general intelligence and that this relationship is driven by the correlation between MUFAs and the organization of the brain's attention network. Although nutrition has been linked to cognitive performance, the mechanism behind the connection has remained elusive.

Further highlighting the importance of nutrition, consumers often turn to supplements to support brain health and cognitive functions. In this space, Health Logics launched a dietary supplement containing S-adenosylmethionine. Also known as SAM-e, produced by advanced biotech company Gnosis, the ingredient is touted as improving joint, brain and liver function, and enhances mood and cognition.

This month, the US market also saw the launch of a new cognitive enhancing supplement coined Sophrosyne. Tapping into the booming nootropics trend, a daily dose of Sophrosyne contains clinically active doses of 500mg of ashwagandha, 180mg of curcumin, 300mg of bacopa monnieri and 500mg of hericium erinaceus.