Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Oligopeptide Effects on Enhancing Memory, Cognition and Improving Sleep Quality in Teenagers and Elderly People in a Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial

Yeh AL, Chao CL, Huang WF, Lin HC, Wang CJ · Natural Product Communications · 2022 March

DOI 10.1177/1934578X221089065

Objective

To investigate the clinical effectiveness and safety of walnut oligopeptide (WO) on memory enhancement, cognition, and sleep quality in teenagers and elderly people.

Conclusions

The results show that WO administration significantly increased the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) score, decreased the global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, and improved exam scores in Chinese, Mathematics, and English for teenagers, supporting its potential as a new option for nutritional intervention in memory, cognitive ability, and sleep quality.

Critical Appraisal

Published research can offer valuable insights, but a paper’s conclusions may go beyond what its results support. Critical appraisal examines the methods, findings and limitations to clarify what can reasonably be concluded—and what remains uncertain.

This article has not yet been critically appraised by the Research Hub.

Learn more about Critical Appraisal

Insights

Walnut oligopeptide improves cognitive performance and sleep quality among teenagers and elderly people.

In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, 36 individuals (comprised of teenagers and elderly people) were divided into groups and given either a placebo or walnut oligopeptide (WO) at low or high dosages. The division was random and the dosage groups were composed of 6 individuals from each population group (teenagers and elderly). The administration of either substance was over a period of 90 days. The results showed notable improvements in subjects who were administered WO. Test scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) showed a significant increase, indicating an improvement in cognitive ability. In addition, there was a decrease in the scores on the global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), suggesting an improvement in the quality of sleep among the subjects. Furthermore, average scores in Chinese, Mathematics, and English were significantly improved from the baseline scores among the teenagers in the WO administered group. Thus, these findings support the potential use of WO in nutritional intervention to boost memory, cognitive ability, and sleep quality in teenagers and elderly people.