Mango leaf extract’s cognitive benefits highlight esports potential
A daily 300 mg dose of Stadice was also associated with improvements in response inhibition and verbal learning and memory, according to the study that included 60 healthy people who played video games regularly.
“These promising results highlight Stadice as a prospective tool in the realm of cognitive enhancement research, offering valuable insights into its efficacy and safety within specialized contexts such as esports,” scientists from Zeus Hygia Lifesciences Pvt Ltd and TrialGuna Private Limited in India wrote in the journal Cureus.
Mango leaf extract
The mango leaf extract used in the new study was developed by Zeus Hygia Lifesciences and is distributed in the U.S. by California-based AIDP, Inc.
The ingredient is described as a proprietary herbal extract standardized to at least 30% mangiferin. According to AIDP, it is the first enriched mangiferin extract in the market.
Commenting on the new study, Mark Thurston, president at AIDP, called it “significant as it targets a younger demographic and the growing world of e-gaming." He also noted that food-derived, natural products are trending with consumers.
Brain Health remains one of the fastest growing segments for supplements at an estimated 9% rate in 2024, according to Nutrition Business Journal.
Study details
The new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study included 60 healthy people between the ages of 18 and 45. The participants, who were regular video gamers, were assigned to consume either the mango leaf extract or a placebo for seven days.
Cognitive effects were assessed using tests that were part of the NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery and Auditory verbal learning tests. Psychological stress response, anxiety, mood, subjective working memory and cortisol levels were also assessed. All assessments were carried out at the baseline and at the end of the study.
Stadice was found to significantly improve mental speed, attention, working memory, response inhibition, and verbal learning and memory, as evidenced by the results of the multiple cognitive ability tests.
In addition, the herbal extract group exhibited better psychological stress management in terms of handling nervousness, irritability, or mood swings.
Importantly, no safety concerns were reported by the researchers.
“This study is important in the sense that the test substance Stadice used in this study is a unique formulation wherein the physicochemical properties of mangiferin in the formulation were enhanced using a patented insolib technology that minimizes the degradation of active substances in herbal extracts,” the researchers wrote.
They called for future studies to explore the ingredient’s potential broader applicability and to elucidate the possible mechanism(s) of action.
Source: Cureus
16(7): e65751. doi: 10.7759/cureus.65751
“Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of Mangifera indica Extract (Stadice) for Cognitive Function: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study”
Authors: S. Jeyakodi et al.