(P25-043-24) The Effect of Ergothioneine Supplementation on Cognitive Function and Other Health-Related Outcomes in Older Adults With Subjective Memory Complaints

Objectives: The effect of consuming the diet-derived compound Ergothioneine on cognition and other health-related outcomes was investigated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in older adults with subjective memory complaints.

Methods: N=147 participants were randomly assigned to consume capsules containing: ErgoActive® Ergothioneine 25mg (ERG 25mg), ErgoActive® Ergothioneine 10mg (ERG 10mg), or a Placebo daily for 16-weeks. Assessment of primary cognitive function outcomes spanned a range of domains including memory, and secondary outcomes included sleep, subjective memory, and blood-based markers.

Results: Of the N=147 participants who commenced the study, n=140 completed the trial. For the primary cognitive function outcomes, Reaction Time demonstrated a nuanced interaction of treatment by time in both ITT (p=.02) and PP populations (p=.02), reflecting improvement in the ERG 10mg group at week 4, and improvement in the ERG 25mg group at week 16 compared to placebo. Psychomotor Speed exhibited a significant overall treatment effect (PP, p=.04), favouring the placebo group over the ERG 10mg group, but no discernible difference from the ERG 25mg group. Within-group effects comparing to baseline revealed significant improvements in cognitive domains including executive function, complex attention, cognitive flexibility, and verbal memory for both the ERG 10mg and ERG 25mg groups (all p < .05). For secondary outcomes, a significant improvement in Getting to Sleep scores for the ERG 25mg group (LSEQ, p=.04), and an overall treatment effect favouring better Prospective Memory scores for the ERG 25mg group was observed. Both the ERG 10mg and 25mg groups showed dose-dependent increases in blood-plasma Ergothioneine levels and decreases in liver enzyme markers (AST and ALT; all p < .05).

Conclusions: This study demonstrated the effects of short-term Ergothioneine supplementation on primary and secondary health outcomes including cognitive function, sleep, and prospective memory. Increased blood-plasma Ergothioneine levels and reduced liver enzyme markers suggest additional potential benefits. Future studies should measure mechanistic markers and consider longer interventions to assess cognitive impacts.

Funding Sources: This trial was funded by Phyto Tech Corp (d/b/a Blue California).