Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. Supplementation with DOTPs show significant improvement in complex attention in older adults (P <0.05)
Desert olive tree pearls [DOTPs] are micro-encapsulations of olive oil harvested from olive trees that grow in the desert. They are rich in hydroxytyrosol which support cognitive function and cardiovascular health1,2. Hydroxytyrosol has demonstrated anti-thrombotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-atherogenic effects2. Since hydroxytyrosol in desert olive tree pearls [DOTPs] are stable in its free form, it readily absorbs into human tissue3. However, cognitive studies utilizing desert olive tree pearls [DOTPs] in humans are limited. In the current study, researchers assessed the effects of DOTPs supplementation versus placebo on cognitive function on older adults1.
The trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on middle aged and older adults. Study duration was 12 weeks. DOTPs sourced for this study contained 16.2 mg/g of hyrdroxytyrosol. The placebo consisted of cornstarch in gel-type granules dipped in olive oil to match color and shape of DOTPs. Participants were randomly assigned to either treatment or placebo. Both groups were required to consume 3g of their assigned protocol twice daily (breakfast and dinner) while maintaining a uniformed diet during the study. Participants were given a dairy to track their diet. Anthropometric measurements were conducted at baseline and at 12weeks. A battery of cognitive tests [the Cognitrax test] were conducted at baseline and at 12weeks. These cognitive tests evaluated cognitive flexibility, complex attention, simple attention, executive function, processing speed, psychomotor speed, verbal memory, composite memory, visual memory, and motor speed.
Seventy-two participants who met inclusion criteria for the trial were randomly assigned to the treatment (n = 36) or placebo group (n = 36). Demographic and clinical data show no significant differences between the two groups at baseline. The average age between the two groups was 69.5 years old (range = 51-81 years old). Cognitive tests pre- and post-trial should a significant group by time interaction in complex attention (P =0.049). Further testing showed that individuals supplemented with DOTPs performed significantly better than those assigned the placebo at week 12 (P < 0.001). A main effect of time was observed for motor speed (P = 0.018), executive function (P < 0.01), cognitive flexibility (P< 0.001), processing speed (P< 0.001), reaction time (P = 0.04), and psychomotor speed (P = 0.002).
Results from this study demonstrated significant improvement in complex attention among participants supplemented with DOTPs compared to placebo. Further investigation will be needed to validate these findings and assess the effect of DOTPs on cognitive function in older adults.
Source: Yoon, Jieun, Kazunori Sasaki, Iku Nishimura, Haruna Hashimoto, Tomohiro Okura, and Hiroko Isoda. “Effects of Desert Olive Tree Pearls Containing High Hydroxytyrosol Concentrations on the Cognitive Functions of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.” Nutrients 15, no. 14 (2023): 3234.
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Posted August 28. 2023.
Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.
References:
- Yoon J, Sasaki K, Nishimura I, Hashimoto H, Okura T, Isoda H. Effects of Desert Olive Tree Pearls Containing High Hydroxytyrosol Concentrations on the Cognitive Functions of Middle-Aged and Older Adults. Nutrients. Jul 21 2023;15(14)doi:10.3390/nu15143234
- Sasaki K, Isoda H. Dietary consumption of desert olive tree pearls reduces brain Aβ content and improves learning and memory ability in aged mice. Journal of Functional Foods. 2022;91:105021.
- Bonetti A, Venturini S, Ena A, Faraloni C. Innovative method for recovery and valorization of hydroxytyrosol from olive mill wastewaters. Water Sci Technol. 2016;74(1):73-86. doi:10.2166/wst.2016.181
