Supplements in later life

Many elderly people are taking more supplements, but little is known about their effectiveness, Swinburne PhD candidate Matthew Pase says.

Seeking to uncover this mystery, Mr Pase is investigating whether dietary supplements can help counter the slowing of brain function with age and is looking for healthy volunteers aged 60 to 75 years to participate from early next year.

“The proportion of people over 65 years in Australia is increasing, and this new research is aimed at improving the cognitive and brain health of older Australians,’’ Mr Pase says.

“The growing size of the ageing population has serious implications for the number of people with age-associated cognitive impairment or dementia, and strategies need to be developed to keep people as cognitively healthy as possible,” he adds.

Mr Pase believes if cognition – especially mental speed and memory – in the elderly is to be improved, then a “much sounder basis” for the effectiveness of supplements is needed.

Studying the effects of the Indian herb Bacopa and the French pine bark extract Pycnogenol on cognitive performance following 12 months of administration in healthy elderly subjects, Mr Pase will put his subjects through “rigorous scientific trials”.

The trial, which will also test the efficacy of a combined micronutrient supplement, is one of the largest to date and has received funding from the Australian Research Council through a grant to Swinburne Professors Con Stough and Andrew Scholey.

If you are interested in participating and able to attend testing sessions at Swinburne in Hawthorn, Melbourne, call (03) 9214 4444 and leave your name and contact details.