Effects of β-Lactolin on Regional Cerebral Blood Flow within the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex during Working Memory Task in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Epidemiological studies have reported that consumption of dairy products rich in beta-lactolin is beneficial for cognitive decline among elderly individuals. Although previous studies have shown that beta-lactolin supplementation improves memory function and attention in healthy adults, the mechanism through which beta-lactolin affects human brain function has yet to be elucidated. This placebo-controlled randomized double-blind study therefore examined the effects of beta-lactolin on human regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines. A total of 114 healthy participants aged between 50 and 75 years with relatively low cognition were randomly allocated into the beta-lactolin or placebo groups (n = 57 for both groups) and received supplementation for 6 weeks. After the 6 weeks of supplementation, total hemoglobin during cognitive tasks (Kraepelin and 2-back tasks) was measured using two-channel NIRS to determine rCBF. Accordingly, the beta-lactolin group had significantly higher changes in total hemoglobin at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area measured using the left-side channel during the 2-back tasks (p = 0.027) compared to the placebo group. The present study suggests that beta-lactolin supplementation increases rCBF and DLPFC activity during working memory tasks.

Automated summary

This study found that beta-lactolin supplementation increases regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity during working memory tasks in humans.