Abstract
Negative health consequences of obesity include impaired neuronal functioning and cell
death, thus bringing the risk of impaired cognitive functioning. Antioxidant properties of polyphenols
offer a possible intervention for overweight people, but evidence for their effectiveness in supporting
cognitive functioning is mixed. This review examined evidence from randomized controlled
trials concerning the effect of polyphenols on tasks requiring either immediate or delayed retrieval
of learned information, respectively, thus controlling for differences in cognitive processes and related
neural substrates supporting respective task demands. Searches of the PubMed/Medline,
PsycInfo, and Scopus databases identified 24 relevant primary studies with N = 2336 participants
having a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2. The participants’ mean age for the 24 studies exceeded 60 years. Respective
meta-analyses produced a significant summary effect for immediate retrieval but not for delayed
retrieval. The present findings support a potential positive effect of chronic supplementation
with polyphenols, most notably flavonoids, on immediate retrieval in participants aged over 60
years with obesity being a risk factor for cognitive impairment. We recommend further investigation
of this potential positive effect in participants with such risk factors. Future research on all populations
should report the phenolic content of the supplementation administered and be specific regarding
the cognitive processes tested.
death, thus bringing the risk of impaired cognitive functioning. Antioxidant properties of polyphenols
offer a possible intervention for overweight people, but evidence for their effectiveness in supporting
cognitive functioning is mixed. This review examined evidence from randomized controlled
trials concerning the effect of polyphenols on tasks requiring either immediate or delayed retrieval
of learned information, respectively, thus controlling for differences in cognitive processes and related
neural substrates supporting respective task demands. Searches of the PubMed/Medline,
PsycInfo, and Scopus databases identified 24 relevant primary studies with N = 2336 participants
having a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2. The participants’ mean age for the 24 studies exceeded 60 years. Respective
meta-analyses produced a significant summary effect for immediate retrieval but not for delayed
retrieval. The present findings support a potential positive effect of chronic supplementation
with polyphenols, most notably flavonoids, on immediate retrieval in participants aged over 60
years with obesity being a risk factor for cognitive impairment. We recommend further investigation
of this potential positive effect in participants with such risk factors. Future research on all populations
should report the phenolic content of the supplementation administered and be specific regarding
the cognitive processes tested.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 474 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-26 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Nutrients |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 474 |
| Early online date | 3 Feb 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Feb 2024 |
Keywords
- cognition
- memory
- obesity
- polyphenols
- meta-analysis
- systematic review
Access to Document
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of Polyphenol Supplementation on Memory Functioning in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Student theses
-
Effect of Polyphenols on Factors Associated with the Development of Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus and Cognitive Impairment in Healthy Adults
FARAG, S. A. S. (Author), MURPHY, P. (Director of Studies) & Tsang, C. (Supervisor), 2024Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis
File