Hoboken, NJ—Baby Boomers looking to support normal memory and cognitive function may want to hear about the latest data on a branded French maritime extract (Pycnogenol, distributed by Horphag Research, based here).

Researchers from Chieti-Pescara University in Italy conducted a year-long study involving 77 healthy men and women ages 55–70. One group of 38 people took the extract (100 mg/day) while another group of 39 people served as a control. Everyone followed the same health plan, which involved getting eight hours of sleep per night, exercising regularly and eating balanced meals with reduced caffeine, salt and sugar intake.

After 12 months, those taking the extract had a significantly lower IQ Code score (based on answers to a questionnaire that could signal cognitive decline) than the controls. The Pycnogenol group had lower values on 14 out of the 16 items. Specifically, the supplemented group had 72% improved daily decision making (versus a 5% drop in controls), 41.2% better attention span (versus a 1.9% improvement in controls), 28% decrease in oxidative stress (versus no change in controls), 37.3% improvement in memory (versus a 9.8% drop in controls), 57% increase in ability to deal with people (versus a 5% drop in controls) and 32% better ability to manage finances (versus a 12% drop in controls).

These data are published in Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences.

Published inWholeFoods Magazine February 2016 (Online, 12/16/15)