Supplementation with a microalgae extract may improve cognitive function and perceived stress and mood state, according to new research.
Published in Frontiers in Aging, the study found that BrainPhyt may significantly reduce blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation widely recognized as a predictive factor of cognitive decline.
"Clinically, there are established CRP levels based on your age range," Stefan Wypyszyk, Microphyt's chief commercial officer, told NutraIngredients. "We saw a 45% reduction in CRP levels by the end of the trial, which is equivalent to turning back the clock by 10 years."
Microphyt, who funded the study, are now in the process of applying for novel food status in Europe. The company has already received New Dietary Ingredient status from the FDA, allowing the ingredient to be sold in the US market.
Microalgae are living microscopic algae that can produce an array of bioactive molecules such as long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, pigments, peptides and sterols.
Located in Montpellier, France, Microphyt grows microalgae on an industrial scale using its patented photobioreactor technology.
The biotechnology company grows a wide variety of strains, each informing different ingredients with different benefits, from mental health and gut health to improved exercise capacity, cardiovascular health and bone health.
BrainPhyt is a product of four years of systematic research. Derived from Phaeodactylum tricornutum Mi136, it is primarily comprised of fucoxanthin, a marine carotenoid pigment and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid that has a strong antioxidant capacity.
This ingredient has been the subject of seven pre-clinical studies and two randomized, placebo-controlled studies. Published in 2024, the first found that a high dose of fucoxanthin (8.8 mg/day) improved several cognitive function parameters such as memory, executive function and perceptions of sleep quality in older individuals.
The researchers therefore set out to evaluate whether a lower dose (4.4 mg/day) could achieve similar results.
To conduct the study, Atlantia Food Clinical Trials worked in conjunction with researchers from the University College Cork, Ireland. They randomized 66 volunteers aged 55 to 75 with age-associated memory impairment to either the placebo group (maltodextrin) or the intervention group (BrainPhyt).
Participants performed the COMPASS cognitive test to measure spatial, working and episodic memory, as well as attention, vigilance and executive function. Sleep quality, mood, stress states and inflammation markers were also evaluated.
At the end of the six-month study, a primary statistical analysis showed no between-group effect in cognitive function parameters. However, the results from the within-group post-hoc analysis showed that BrainPhyt may positively affect executive function, attention and episodic memory.
"The lack of significance between groups could be an artefact of demographic selection, degree of age-associated cognitive impairment or rate of progression of this impairment and a relatively high degree of variance in several of the readouts associated with this study," the researchers explained.
Among the more promising results were the improvements in reaction time and word recall scores. There was a significant within-group improvement in the intervention group for the Stroop color-word test after 24 weeks, with no significant change in the placebo.
Similar improvements were seen in immediate and delayed word recall scores, highlighting an enhancement in working and episodic memory. These findings were supported by the reduction in CRP levels.
"The participants were shown 15 words on a screen and asked to memorize them and write down as many as they could remember," explained Christel Lemaire, Microphyt's marketing manager. "After 24 weeks of supplementation, the Brainphyt group remembered, on average, two more words."
There was also an improvement in patient-reported levels of stress and mood state in the intervention arm, while no significant improvements were noted in the placebo group.
While the precise mechanisms of action are unclear, Microphyt's director of innovation Rémi Pradelles says the effects can likely be attributed to BrainPhyt's ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
"As we age, levels of natural antioxidants decline which can contribute to inflammation," he told NutraIngredients. "Our ingredient is one of very few antioxidants that can cross the blood brain barrier, activating the Nrf2 pathway and fighting oxidative stress."
Despite the lack of significant differences between the two groups, the researchers say the results are "encouraging" and require further investigation.
"While further research is needed with a larger cohort to confirm these results, this proof-of-concept study has the merit of providing initial proof of the efficacy of low daily supplementation with microalgae extract from Phaeodactylum tricornutum containing only 4.4 mg of fucoxanthin during 24 weeks, opening up the prospect of evaluating novel research hypotheses to prevent age-related cognitive decline," they wrote.
Source: Frontiers in Aging. doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1540115. "Promising benefits of six-month Phaeodactylum tricornutum microalgae supplementation on cognitive function and inflammation in healthy older adults with age-associated memory impairment". Authors: E. Goodbody, et al.