Objective To examine the effects of yeast β-glucan intervention on cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to explore the potential mechanisms. Methods Patients aged 50 to 80 years in Shiyan City were randomly assigned to the intervention group (yeast β-glucan, 1 g/d) or the placebo group (maltodextrin, 1 g/d) for 6 months. Global cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale, and specific cognitive functions were evaluated using the clock drawing test (CDT), digit span test (DST), trail making test (TMT), verbal fluency test (VFT), and digit symbol substitution test (DSST). Besides, basic questionnaire, 3-day 24-hour dietary recall, BMI, SBP, DBP, APOE ε2/ε3/ε4, FPG, insulin, HbA1C, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, ALT, AST, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, NK cells and CRP were performed or detected. Generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to analyze the intervention effects. Results A total of 115 patients with MCI, aged 63.7±8.7 years, completed the intervention. Compared to the placebo group, MoCA scores in the intervention group remarkably increased by 1.45 points (95% CI 0.71 to 2.18, P6 month<0.001) after 6 months of yeast β-glucan supplementation, with a significant time×group interaction effect (P for interaction=0.006). Additionally, CDT scores also improved significantly at 6 months (P6 month=0.007), whereas no significant between-group differences were observed in other single cognitive domains. Yeast β-glucan supplementation could significantly increase the absolute counts of B cells (P3 month=0.002, P6 month=0.005, P for interaction=0.013) and CD4+ T cells (P6 month=0.030). Moreover, the absolute count of lymphocytes significantly increased at 3 months (P3 month=0.004), but gradually declined at 6 months (P6 month=0.079, P for interaction=0.045). Nevertheless, CRP showed no significant between-group difference after the intervention. Conclusion Yeast β-glucan could significantly improve cognitive function in patients with MCI, which may be related to immune regulation.
Key words
mild cognitive impairment /
yeast β-glucan /
randomized controlled trial /
immunomodulation /
cognitive assessment
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