Cognitive short- and long-term effects of coffee cherry extract in older adults with mild cognitive decline.

There has been increasing interest in food- and dietary supplement-based materials that may support healthy cognition. However, few studies have quantitatively measured bioavailability, bioactivity, or cognitive short- and long-term effects of these materials against placebo. Earlier clinical studies reported ability of coffee cherry extract (CCE) to a.) reduce levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human blood and b.) to increase serum and exosomal levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neuroprotein essential for neurogenesis. Here, we examined CCE influence on cognitive performance. Seventy-one adults with mild cognitive decline completed this double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 28-day regimen. Participants engaged in a cognitive challenge that involved working memory processes. Our results suggest that effects of CCE were notable during the first week and persisted throughout the study period. Specifically, participants on the CCE regimens had significant reductions in reaction time compared to placebo when comparing baseline to days 7 and 28 (p = 0.040, partial η2  = 0.130). A main effect of group was not identified for accuracy; however, strong trends were noted between the placebo group and two of the three CCE groups. These results suggest CCE, when taken in the morning or twice per day, is associated with improvements in reaction times and trends toward indications of improved accuracy. Although further research is required, these observations may be indicative of underlying processes such as increased processing speed, sustained attention, and/or focus.

The Fructoborates: Part of a Family of Naturally Occurring Sugar-Borate Complexes-Biochemistry, Physiology, and Impact on Human Health: a Review.

Sugar-borates (SBs) are mono- or di-sugar-borate esters (SBEs) comprised of one or two monosaccharide molecules linked to a boron (B) atom. SBEs occur naturally in commonly consumed herbs, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts and, other than greatly varying levels of B found in local drinking water, are the primary natural dietary sources of B-containing molecules in humans. To date, the most studied SBE is calcium fructoborate (CaFB). CaFB represents an important example of how organic B-containing molecules are significantly distinct from their inorganic counterparts. During these past two decades, CaFB has been researched for its physical and biochemical characteristics, safety, and clinical outcomes. Results of these researches are presented and discussed herein. CaFB has been characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), liquid chromatography-multistage accurate mass spectrometry (LC-MSn), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) in non-biological and biological specimens. Potential health benefits of CaFB have been clinically investigated in pilot and efficacy studies demonstrating (i) significant reductions in knee discomfort and improved flexibility within 7, 14, and 90 days and (ii) significant effect on blood levels of inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other biomarkers. These studies support the use of CaFB as a dietary supplement for the management of joint discomfort. CaFB is presented here in order to illustrate how physiological benefits are imparted by distinct organic boron-containing molecules rather than solely by the element B itself. Considering recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data reporting increases in age-related joint pain and an increasing elderly demographic, SBEs offer potential for safe, natural, and effective management of joint discomfort and improved mobility in human and animal health applications. Several of these studies may also open new opportunities for use of SBEs for health benefits beyond joint health.

Oxidative stress or redox signalling - new insights into the effects of a proprietary multifunctional botanical dietary supplement.

Recent interest has focused on maintenance of healthy levels of redox signalling and the related oxidants; these parameters are crucial for providing us with concrete nutritional targets that may help us to better understand and maintain "optimal health". Following the above hypothesis, we performed a pilot double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled, single dose study to measure the dose-dependent effects of a proprietary plant-based dietary supplement labelled here as S7 (SPECTRA7), related to how it affected the cellular metabolic index (CMI) in healthy human participants (n = 8). We demonstrated using the electron spin resonance/electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer NOXYSCAN that the administration S7 resulted in statistically significant, long-term, dose-dependent inhibition of mitochondrial and cellular reactive oxygen species generation by as much as 9.2 or 17.7% as well as 12.0 or 14.8% inhibition in extracellular nicotinamide-dinucleotide-phosphate oxidase system-dependent generation of O2•-, and 9.5 or 44.5% inhibition of extracellular H2O2 formation. This was reflected with dose-dependent 13.4 or 17.6% inhibition of tumour necrosis factor alpha induced cellular inflammatory resistance and also 1.7 or 2.3-times increases of bioavailable NO concentration. In this pilot study, we demonstrated the ability of a natural supplement to affect cellular redox signalling, which is considered by many researchers as oxidative stress. The design and activity of this proprietary plant-based material, in combination with the newly developed "CMI" test, demonstrates the potential of using dietary supplements to modulate redox signalling. This opens the door to future research into the use of S7 for modulation of inflammatory markers, for sports endurance or recovery applications.