2024-08-25 16:51:28
Cognitive decline is one of the most important consequences of aging and pharmacological therapies have so far been largely unsuccessful.
It is well known that cognitive deficits in the brain’s hippocampus are linked to low levels of phospholipids related to the maintenance of cognitive activity, memory and learning.
Phospholipids are the main lipids of the nervous system. They are located in cell membranes and have the capacity to interact with metabolites, hormones, antibodies and other cells. Recent studies have reported that during aging, there is a reduction in phospholipid content in various brain regions, which has been linked to cognitive decline associated with aging.
A research team led by the Food Science Research Institute (CIAL), affiliated with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), all of these entities, has conducted a clinical study in people over 65 years of age in which it concludes that dietary supplementation with components of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is of great interest due to its involvement in enhancing memory and could be used to prevent mild cognitive impairment during adulthood.
MFGM has a complex structure of glycoproteins, phospholipids, sphingolipids, glycolipids (cerebrosides and gangliosides), cholesterol and other minor components. Phospho- and sphingolipids present in MFGM include: phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS) and sphingomyelin (SM).
The role of SM in the brain is well known for its contribution to cognition, while PS is credited with positive effects in diseases such as depression, stress and even Alzheimer’s disease. Bovine MFGM, similar in composition to human milk, is also used in infant nutrition to improve the formulation of infant formulas, which are believed to provide cognitive and immune benefits.
Several preclinical studies in animal models, carried out by the same group of the CIAL researcher Javier Fontecha who carried out the present study, have shown that dietary supplementation with a MFGM concentrate, obtained from a dairy by-product such as buttermilk, modulates the expression of miRNA, improves insulin resistance and synaptic signaling in the hippocampus, attenuates emotional memory (contextual fear conditioning), modifies the lipid composition of synaptosomes in the frontal cortex and hippocampus, and improves spatial working memory.
The authors of the study indicate that any intervention in this regard should be initiated before clinical symptoms appear, as a preventive measure against cognitive decline. Future long-term clinical studies could provide more revealing data on this point. The group’s current line of research is focused on conducting trials that will allow the elucidation of the mechanisms of action of MFGM at a cognitive level.
The study is titled “Milk fat globule membrane-enriched milk improves episodic memory: A randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in older adults.” It has been published in the academic journal Journal of Functional Foods. (Source: CSIC)
Source: Science News.com / Amazings.com)