Abstract
Over the counter dietary supplements are a massive and growing market; however, there are few regulations or safeguards/protections for ensuring appropriate efficacy and safety. While there is some evidence of memory improvement, in older patients particularly, a significant number of commonly sold supplements have little to no memory-boosting benefits. Further studies are required on the longer-term effects of these supplements, particularly larger and better designed studies than currently available in the literature. Clinicians should also be conscious of any supplements older patients may be taking alongside their prescribed medications.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hickson SV, Darnell LK. Enhancing cognitive function with herbal supplements. Nurs Clin North Am. 2021;56(1):59–67.
Hersant H, He S, Maliha P, et al. Over the counter supplements for memory: a review of available evidence. CNS Drugs. 2023;37(9):797–817.
Moran DL, Underwood MY, Gabourie TA, et al. Effects of a supplement containing apoaequorin on verbal learning in older adults in the community. Adv Mind Body Med. 2016;30(1):4–11.
Choudhary D, Bhattacharyya S, Bose S. Efficacy and safety of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L) dunal) root extract in improving memory and cognitive functions. J Diet Suppl. 2017;14(6):599–612.
Ng QX, Loke W, Foo NX. A systematic review of the clinical use of Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) to ameliorate cognitive dysfunction. Phytother Res. 2020;34(3):583–90.
Nakazaki E, Mah E, Sanoshy K, et al. Citicoline and memory function in healthy older adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Nutr. 2021;151(8):2153–60.
Ylilauri MPT, Voutilainen S, Lönnroos E, et al. Associations of dietary choline intake with risk of incident dementia and with cognitive performance: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(6):1416–23.
Saenghong N, Wattanathorn J, Muchimapura S, et al. Zingiber officinale improves cognitive function of the middle-aged healthy women. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/383062.
Mancini E, Beglinger C, Drewe J, et al. Green tea effects on cognition, mood and human brain function: a systematic review. Phytomedicine. 2017;34:26–37.
Moré MI, Freitas U, Rutenberg D. Positive effects of soy lecithin-derived phosphatidylserine plus phosphatidic acid on memory, cognition, daily functioning, and mood in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Adv Ther. 2014;31(12):1247–62.
Vakhapova V, Cohen T, Richter Y, et al. Phosphatidylserine containing omega-3 fatty acids may improve memory abilities in non-demented elderly with memory complaints: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2010;29(5):467–74.
Tsai IC, Hsu CW, Chang CH, et al. The effect of curcumin differs on individual cognitive domains across different patient populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021;14(12):1235.
Beauchet O, Cooper-Brown LA, Allali G. Vitamin D supplementation and cognition in adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. CNS Drugs. 2021;35(12):1249–64.
Pennisi M, Lanza G, Cantone M, et al. Acetyl-L-carnitine in dementia and other cognitive disorders: a critical update. Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1389.
Hudson S, Tabet N. Acetyl-L-carnitine for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;2003(2):CD003158.
Birks J, Grimley EJ. Ginkgo biloba for cognitive impairment and dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;21(1):CD003120.
Ghassab-Abdollahi N, Mobasseri K, Dehghani AA, et al. The effects of Huperzine A on dementia and mild cognitive impairment: an overview of systematic reviews. Phytother Res. 2021;35(9):4971–87.
Burckhardt M, Herke M, Wustmann T, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;11(4):CD009002.
Malouf R, Grimley EJ. Vitamin B6 for cognition. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003(4):CD004393.
Dysken MW, Sano M, Asthana S, et al. Effect of vitamin E and memantine on functional decline in Alzheimer disease: the TEAM-AD VA cooperative randomized trial. JAMA. 2014;311(1):33–44.
Funding
The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Authorship and conflict of interest
C. Kang, a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature, declares no relevant conflicts of interest. All authors contributed to this article and are responsible for its content.
Ethics approval, Consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and material, Code availability
Not applicable.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Kang, C. Dietary supplements may boost memory, but more evidence is required. Drugs Ther Perspect (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-024-01070-z
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-024-01070-z