Tempeh consumption increase cognitive function

Cognitive impairment has become a common health problem among older people. Food affects cognitive function through several mechanisms, such as modification of your gut flora. Previous studies demonstrated that tempeh consumption improves cognitive function in older people. A new study also investigated the influence of microorganism and the serving size of tempeh on cognitive functions on 84 persons, mainly women and aged over 65 years. The researchers divided the participants in 3 groups: group A (consuming 100g tempeh type A per day), group B (consuming 100g tempeh type B ) and group C (consuming no tempeh). Type A tempeh contained about 100x less contaminating bacteria than type B. Cognitive assessments were done at the start of the intervention and after 6 months. An increase in global cognitive scores was found in both groups A and B, but the increase in language domain scores was only observed in group A.

Although not the main purpose of this study, the researchers also looked at the effect of the daily consumption of 100 g tempeh on uric levels. There is a widespread belief that consuming tempeh leads to gout. They found no significant differences between uric acid levels among the different groups, further confirming that consuming tempeh consumption does not increase uric acid levels.

The researcher concluded that tempeh consumption improved global cognitive function of older people with mild cognitive impairment and that tempeh with the lowest microbial contamination was most effective.

Source: Tempeh Consumption and Cognitive Improvement in Mild Cognitive Impairment. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2020;49(5):497-502