Researchers Gave Adults a Daily Supplement—Then Spotted a Change in Brain

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Researchers found that those who took the supplement had increased blood flow to the brain while carrying out a mental task.

Researchers set out to understand the impact of a dietary supplement on adults with obesity, and found that it could have a notable impact on the brain.

Experts at the University of Oklahoma found that those who took urolithin A experienced increased blood flow to the brain while carrying out a mental task. Cerebral circulation, which is flow of blood through the network of blood vessels in the brain, plays a crucial part in the brain's ability to function.

"The brain needs an adequate supply of blood to meet the demands of mental activity," Ana Clara da Costa Pinaffi Langley, who is the study’s first author and an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Oklahoma, said.

"We found that urolithin A increased blood flow to the brain during a memory task, suggesting the supplement may help the brain meet its increased need for oxygen and nutrients when it is working harder," she added.

Urolithin A is a substance that is already produced by the body during digestion of certain foods like strawberries, pomegranates and walnut. However, current research suggests that as people age, and as body mass index increases, the amount of the substance people produce goes down.

Obesity is common among U.S. adults—more than two in five Americans are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—and is considered a risk factor for several chronic conditions including stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment later in life.

One reason why obesity could be linked with these conditions is because it is thought to change blood vessel function, resulting in endothelial dysfunction—a condition where blood vessels can constrict and narrow, affecting blood circulation around the body.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open on October 9.

The researchers included 50 adults aged between 40 and 64, with a body mass index of 30 or higher, in the study.

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