08) and day 3 (p = 0.04), whereas the quercetin supplementation group did not demonstrate such slowing. These findings provide qualified support for a neuroprotective effect of quercetin in a human sample. In the only published study to examine the effects of quercetin supplementation on human cognitive functioning, Olson and colleagues compared the immediate effects of 2000 mg of quercetin on vigilance and mood with those produced by 200 mg of caffeine or placebo [Olson et al. 2010]. One hour after ingestion of their relative treatment, 57
this website participants Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical completed a 45 min vigilance task. The results indicated that participants ingesting caffeine outperformed those receiving placebo on the vigilance task. Although analyses failed to detect a significant effect of quercetin on vigilance, the authors noted a trend with participants that had consumed quercetin performed somewhat (though not statistically significant) better than participants who received
placebo. Based on these findings, the authors concluded that quercetin is unlikely to generate significant Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical effects on cognitive functioning when ingested in quantities typically found in human diets or dietary supplements. However, the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical long-term effects of quercetin supplementation were not investigated and remain unknown. The purpose of the present research was to extend previous research by examining the effects of 12 weeks of quercetin supplementation on several cognitive performance tasks in a large community sample of adults. In addition, based on previous animal research suggesting that quercetin can reverse cognitive deficits in aged mice [Singh et al. 2003], separate analyses were conducted to examine the effects of quercetin Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical supplementation on participants over the age Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of 60. Based on previous research, it was predicted that participants who ingested large doses of quercetin would demonstrate enhanced performance
on cognitive tasks. Methods Participants A large community sample of 1002 (60% women) residents from western North Carolina were recruited to participate in this study by mass advertising. Of the 1002 recruited, 941 completed full study requirements, which included cognitive testing at baseline and post treatment. Participants Tryptophan synthase ranged in age from 18 to 85 [mean = 45.96; standard deviation (SD) = 16.27] and were stratified by age during recruitment to ensure representation from various age ranges: 40% were young adults (18–40), 40% were middle age (41–65), and 20% were older age (66–85) adults. Participants were also stratified by body mass index (BMI) to include 33% normal BMI (18.5–24.9), 33% overweight (25–29.9), and 33% obese (30 or more). Women who were pregnant or lactating were excluded from the study. The majority of participants had completed a high-school education (97.7%), and approximately half had earned a college degree (56%). Racial and ethnic backgrounds represented included 95% white, 1.8% African American, and 3.2% other.