RCT supports efficacy of multi-ingredient nootropic for cognitive boost for gamers
The multi-ingredient nootropic Evo-Gamers product by Harrison Sport Nutrition, which funded the study, was associated with improved reaction times, processing speed, creativity, and improved mood scores, according to a study with young men and women.
The product contains the combination of L-tyrosine, acetyl L-carnitine HCL, citicoline sodium, alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC), taurine, caffeine, L-theanine, an extract from mango leaves, and an extract from huperzia leaves.
“Since the effect size of the nootropic was medium, these results suggest that this dietary multi-ingredient nootropic could be used as a cognitive enhancer in situations where an increase in cognitive performance is needed (i.e., students, university staff, eSports gamers, etc.),” wrote scientists from the University of Granada, Spain in Frontiers in Nutrition.
Category opportunity
The esports industry generated revenues of $1.08 billion in 2021, up 14.5% year-on-year and projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2024, according to the Newzoo Global Esports and Live Streaming Market Report. The games market insights company also predicted that a global esports audience of 465 million will grow to 577 million in the same period, with an even wider audience if including live-streaming coverage.
This has led to an influx of supplement brands that promise to deliver the energy, focus, endurance, manual dexterity, accuracy, mood, reaction time and actions per minute required for peak practice and tournament performance.
The new study examined how a single 10 grams dose of Evo-Gamers mixed with water could impact a raft of cognitive measures.
Study details
Twenty-six twentysomethings were recruited to participate in the randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. The participants, which were equally split between men and women, were randomly assigned to one dose of the multi-ingredient nootropic or maltodextrin placebo, and 30 minutes later performed a battery of cognitive tests. Forty-eight hours later, the participants returned to crossover to the other group.
The data showed that, compared to placebo, significant improvements in processing speed, inhibitory control, spatial working memory, and cognitive flexibility were observed following ingestion of the nootropic formulation.
In addition, the Evo-Gamers product was associated with higher creativity and positive emotions and lower sadness-depression emotions, said the researchers.
No differences between placebo and nootropic were observed for heart rate or heart rate variability, they added. Moreover, no impact on verbal fluency, motivation, or anxiety were recorded.
“This dietary supplement could be used in situations where a quick response is needed, specifically where the processing speed of information is essential. In addition, it could be also used in different scenarios where high creativity is needed to solve problems, as well as situations where is critical to react as quickly as possible to different stimuli (i.e., videogames or sports performance),” wrote the Granada-based scientists.
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition
Published online: 10.3389/fnut.2022.858910
“Acute Effect of a Dietary Multi-Ingredient Nootropic as a Cognitive Enhancer in Young Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Triple-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial”
Authors: M. Medrano et al.
