Effects of Anthocyanin Supplementation on Serum Lipids, Glucose, Markers of Inflammation and Cognition in Adults With Increased Risk of Dementia – A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: Anthocyanins may protect against cardiovascular related cognitive decline and dementia. OBJECTIVE: Open-label study to measure changes in serum lipids, glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and markers of inflammation after anthocyanin supplementation in people with increased risk of dementia. As a secondary endpoint we examined potential changes in a battery of cognitive test in the anthocyanin group (AG). A total of 27 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 8) or stable non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) (n = 19) consumed two Medox(®) capsules, each containing 80 mg of natural purified anthocyanins, twice daily for 16 weeks. They provided blood samples and performed a short battery of cognitive tests. Twenty healthy normal controls (NC) (n = 20) provided blood samples, but did not receive any intervention and did not perform cognitive tests. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between groups for monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) and fasting glucose. In addition, total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly increased in the AG. Improvements in memory and executive test scores were observed. No adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study were largely inconclusive with regard to the potential protective effects of anthocyanin supplementation. However, anthocyanins were well tolerated, and compliance was high. Larger, placebo-controlled studies to explore the potential effects of anthocyanins on dementia risk are encouraged. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02409446