January 16, 2023
Keio University
A research group from the Psychology Laboratory, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, led by Professor Satoshi Umeta, and the Kirin Central Research Institute, R&D Division, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, has confirmed in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover clinical trial in healthy adults that a single intake of matured hop-derived bitter acids regulates autonomic nervous system activity during cognitive function tests that require attention and has the function of improving attention. Although the mechanism of matured hop-derived bitter acids in humans had not been elucidated until now, these results are a research achievement that partially clarifies this mechanism.
Hops have been known as a medicinal herb since ancient times and are a plant known for their diverse pharmacological effects. This research group has previously reported that iso-α-acids, a bitter component of beer found in hops, and matured hop-derived bitter acids, produced by aging hops, have dementia-preventive and cognitive function-improving effects. Furthermore, a recent clinical trial in healthy middle-aged and older adults revealed that continuous intake of matured hop-derived bitter acids improves memory and attention and reduces anxiety. However, the mechanism by which matured hop-derived bitter acids improve cognitive and mental functions in humans had not been verified.
As previous non-clinical studies had confirmed that matured hop-derived bitter acids improve cognitive and mental functions via the vagus nerve, one of the autonomic nerves, this study conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial in healthy adults to verify the involvement of matured hop-derived bitter acids in human autonomic nervous system activity. The results showed that, compared to the placebo group, the matured hop-derived bitter acid group had a statistically significant increase in total autonomic nervous system activity, and demonstrated improved performance on cognitive function tests evaluating executive function and attention.
In modern society, the increase in dementia patients due to a super-aging society and the rise in patients with mental illnesses such as depression have become social issues. These findings have partially elucidated the mechanism of action of matured hop-derived bitter acids, whose effects on improving cognitive and mental functions have been reported in clinical trials. In the future, the development of solutions based on scientific evidence is expected to address social issues related to brain health.
The results of this research were published in the international academic journal "Journal of Functional Foods" on December 17, 2022.
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