Study protocol: The efficacy of mushroom to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk middle-aged adults and young-olds living in the community

Summary & key facts

This paper describes two linked studies that will test whether eating a common edible mushroom can help protect thinking skills in people at higher risk of dementia. One study will follow about 1,000 older adults for 10 years using existing data. The other is a carefully controlled trial that will ask about 600 adults aged 45 to 74 who are at higher risk because of family history, a genetic risk variant called APOE ε4, or mild memory worries. In the trial, the intervention group will take a daily powdered mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) for two years. Researchers will measure thinking tests, mental health, and biological markers at the start, after one year, and after two years. This is a study plan, so it does not report results yet. The goal is to produce stronger evidence about whether mushroom intake affects thinking over time.

Key facts:

• The project includes two parts: a 10-year follow-up of about 1,000 people from an existing aging study, and a new carefully controlled trial with about 600 participants.
• The trial will enroll community-living adults aged 45 to 74 who are at higher risk of dementia because of family history, a genetic risk variant called APOE ε4, or having mild memory concerns.
• People who already ate mushrooms more than once a week were not included. The study also excludes people with dementia, major neurological or psychiatric disorders, or big sensory or movement problems.
• In the trial, the intervention group will take one daily dose of Pleurotus citrinopileatus mushroom powder for two years. The powder contains about 7 milligrams of the antioxidant ergothioneine per gram of dry powder.
• Researchers will test thinking and memory using standard tests (for example, simple mental state checks and memory learning tests). They will also track mental health and biological markers at the start, after one year, and after two years.
• The paper is a study protocol. That means it explains the plan and methods but does not present findings. It aims to provide stronger and longer-term evidence than earlier observational studies, which alone cannot prove cause and effect.

Abstract

Background: Cognitive function declines with increasing age and maintaining high cognitive functioning especially at late life remains a challenging question to be addressed. Emerging evidence in the role of mushroom in promoting cognition has been produced from limited observational studies but there is a lack of definitive evidence on both longitudinal relationships from prospective cohort studies and clinical efficacy from clinical trials. Objectives: To explore the definitive evidence of mushroom on cognitive functions among at-risk middle-aged and young-olds. Design: The first study is a 10-year cognitive assessment follow-up on an existing cohort, the Diet and Healthy Aging (DaHA), which recruited over 1,000 older adults from the year 2010 to the year 2016. The second is a carefully designed randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the role of mushrooms in promoting cognitive functioning among around 600 middle-aged adults and young-olds. Participants: Participants were selected based on specific inclusion criteria, such as being community-living adults aged 45-74 years with a family history of dementia, APOE ε4 allele, or subjective cognitive decline, while consuming mushrooms no more than once a week and having no dementia, along with the exclusion of individuals with neurological or psychiatric disorders and significant sensory or motor impairments. Intervention: Participants in the intervention group will consume Pleurotus citrinopileatus mushroom powder daily for 24 months, with compliance monitored using electronic diary apps. The powder contains 7.0 mg/g of ergothioneine (dry weight). Measurements: Cognitive function including Mini Mental State Examination, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Symbol Digit Modality test, Clinical Dementia Rating etc. along with mental health and biological markers will be measured at baseline, 1 year, and 2 years after baseline.

Topics

Antioxidants, Aging, Portulaca oleracea Fungal Biology and Applications Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Alternative medicine Biology Cognition Cognitive decline Dementia Developmental psychology Disease Environmental health Food science Gerontology Medicine Mushroom Pathology Protocol (science) Psychiatry Psychology

Conditions & symptoms

Difficulty focusing