Green Bioactives, a plant-based product developer, has released the results of a clinical study demonstrating that its proprietary L-theanine and fructooligosaccharide ingredient, GBL-Memory, can improve memory by up to 10.1%.
This study, published in the peer-reviewed nutrition journal Food Science and Nutrition, presents compelling findings as the natural product and health supplement industry looks to provide solutions to address cognitive decline in an increasingly ageing population.
The prevalence of cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, increases with age, with the risk doubling every five years after the age of 65. It’s suggested that 5-7% of individuals aged 60 or older experience significant cognitive decline each year.
The study
The study, which was led by the late Gary Loake, a Professor of Molecular Plant Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and Chief Scientific Officer at Green Bioactives, explored the effects of taking GBL-Memory1 – a unique complex containing L-theanine and Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), over a 30-day period.
120 healthy participants were divided into two groups, with half taking the supplement and half taking a placebo.
The results
There were significant improvements in memory observed in the supplement group.
The research used the Clinical Memory Scale to assess the benefits of taking the supplement, which contribute to the improvement in total memory. The areas assessed were improvements in directed memory, associate learning (associative memory), meaningless image recognition, graphic memory and portrait retrieval.
GBL-Memory is the first product launched by Green Bioactives. and will be available to consumers through its brand partners. The first launch will take place in Germany under the name Memocentrix in May and then be available in the UK from June.
Dr Clara Doran, Senior Clinical Investigator at Scottish Brain Sciences, former General Practitioner and brain health expert, said: “This paper shows encouraging outcomes for the combination of these two plant-based ingredients, L- theanine and FOS. In today’s fast-paced and multi-tasking world, there is a great need in finding accessible and natural ways to improve memory, recall and productivity in healthy adults, and future research regarding these products could help multiple populations, including geriatrics, and women suffering from brain fog in menopause.”