Supplement trial leaves cognitive benefit uncertain
An abstract-based look at a trial in older adults finds improvements within the supplement group, but no clear estimate of its advantage over the control group.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Cognitive test scores and depression symptom scores improved within the supplement group. Serotonin increased, while the authors reported no effects on anxiety or the other blood markers. The abstract gives no clear between-group estimate for these changes, leaving uncertain how much improvement was attributable to supplementation rather than change over time.
This was a small, short trial. The abstract does not report a treatment-versus-control effect estimate with uncertainty, and improvements within a group alone do not establish a supplementation benefit.
What researchers found
Montreal Cognitive Assessment score
Scores improved from baseline to week 12 within the supplement group. This comparison with participants' own starting scores does not establish an advantage over the group taking no supplement.
What the trial tested
Researchers randomly assigned older adults to take the supplement or go without it. They assessed cognition, anxiety, depression symptoms and blood markers, treating these as separate outcomes rather than a single measure of health.
What a blood change means
Serotonin levels increased in the supplement group. That laboratory finding does not by itself establish better everyday cognitive functioning, and the reported cognitive test improvement does not demonstrate prevention of future decline.
The original publication
The Impact of 5-Hydroxytryptophan Supplementation on Cognitive Function and Mood in Singapore Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Li S, Sutanto CN, Xia X et al.
Nutrients · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40944161
- Record checked
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