HP Ingredients recently announced the publication of a new study on its flagship cognitive support ingredient, IQ200, showing that, in a small group of older individuals, benefits to certain aspects of cognitive health and mood were achieved.
 
“IQ200 is a breakthrough water-soluble, high antioxidant food-based herb, Persicaria minor,” Annie Eng, founder and CEO of HP Ingredients, said, adding that clinical studies to date have yielded evidence to date that the ingredient supports cognitive flexibility, processing speed, and executive function in adults. Subsequent studies have also found benefits to working memory and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a result of supplementation with the herbal ingredient.
 
The most recent study, a multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, aimed to investigate the effect of daily P. minor extract supplementation on cognition, mood, biomarkers, and brain activation among older adults living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
 
A total of 30 older adults with MCI, between the ages of 60 and 75, were randomized to receive either a 250 mg capsule of IQ200 daily, or a matching placebo, with cognitive function and mood evaluations taking place at baseline, after three months, and after a six-month follow-up, using a combination of neuropsychological tests and Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaires.
 
The authors found an association between IQ200 and potential improvements in visual memory, negative mood, BDNF, and triglyceride levels among older adults with MCI. Specifically, an improvement of 9.8% in visual reproduction II tests was observed in the experimental group, and an average 33.43% decrease in negative mood scores was achieved in that group, as well, while the placebo group had increased negative mood scores. Triglyceride levels dropped by over 19% in the experimental group, as well.
 
Further, significant improvements were also observed in most of the negative mood traits evaluated with POMS – particularly, tension, anger, confusion, and total negative subscales in the present study.
 
“Their results were in line with a previous study that also demonstrated significant improvements in tension, depression, anger, and total mood disturbance among healthy middle-aged women with mood disturbance,” Eng said.
 
Underlying mechanisms which led to the beneficial effect in those taking the supplement could be linked to antioxidant components of the supplement, such as flavonoids or quercetin, as well as the anti-inflammatory properties of the compound, the researchers said.
 
“The findings from the current research suggested that 6 months of P.minor extract supplementation can significantly improve visuospatial memory, tension, anger, confusion, total negative subscales, triglyceride, and BDNF level among older adults with MCI,” the authors concluded. “The results must be considered preliminary until such effects can be studied further in a larger sample size. These findings may serve as a knowledge base for other herbal or natural extracts supplementation studies in the future.”
 
Another previous study found that IQ200 benefitted cognitive flexibility, processing speed, and executive function, increased BDNF, reduced the inflammation markers ieMDA, iNOS, and COX, activated the brain prefrontal cortex, and improved mood, HP Ingredients reports.