Asparagus stem extract may improve memory in healthy adults
Memory scores improved 9.0 points more with the extract than with placebo after 12 weeks in a randomized trial.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, registered UMIN000048006
Limit: The efficacy analysis included 60 of 66 randomized participants, without explaining selection
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Sixty-six healthy adults aged 40 and older with normal cognitive function joined a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a standardized asparagus stem extract. Participants received 300 milligrams of the extract, called ETAS, or placebo daily for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the change after 12 weeks in a combined score for verbal and visual memory.
The analysis of effects included 60 participants. Compared with placebo, the extract produced a 12.8-point greater improvement in the combined memory score at six weeks and a 9.0-point greater improvement at 12 weeks. No adverse events related to the extract were reported. The authors suggested that the extract may help maintain and enhance memory.
Why it matters
Maintaining memory is a goal of efforts to preserve cognitive health as people age. This trial addressed whether a plant extract might support memory in cognitively healthy adults.
Caveats
The efficacy analysis included 60 of 66 randomized participants; the abstract does not explain how this group was selected. The trial assessed memory in healthy adults over 12 weeks, not whether the extract prevented dementia.
Where the evidence stands
Asparagus officinalis
- 2 independent labs in 2 countries
- 2 of 5 findings with company ties
The paper
Amino Up (Japan)
Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, Oct 31, 2026, Open access, CC BY-NC-ND
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