Natural Products and Supplements for Geriatric Depression and Cognitive Disorders: An Evaluation of the Research

Abstract

Numerous geriatric patients are using Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for late-life mood and cognitive disorders. Natural products and supplements are a common CAM intervention which have risks and benefits of which patients should be appropriately advised. The data for omega-3 fatty acids, ginkgo biloba, SAMe, St John’s wort, B Vitamins and Vitamin D, huperzine, caprylidene and coconut oil will be evaluated. Since the evidence basis for natural products and supplements is limited, especially for the geriatric population. Studies involving the general adult population are included to infer effects in the aging population. Despite the data available, more rigorous studies with larger sample sizes over longer periods of time are still needed. Regardless of a physician’s preference to recommend various natural supplements and products, a physician could protect their patients by having an understanding of the side effects and indications for various natural products.

Clinical Advances in Geriatric Psychiatry

“…aerobic, strength training 45 ), supplements (e.g. omega-3 fatty acids, flavanols 46 ), stress reduction techniques (e.g. Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction 47 ), sleep modification strategies 48 , dietary interventions (e.g.…”

The neuroprotective activities of natural products through the Nrf2 upregulation

“…At the same time, natural products have attracted attention as promising preventative and therapeutic agents for various neurological disorders. Numerous studies have suggested the potential effectiveness of natural products in diseases such as geriatric depression and other types of cognitive disorders (Varteresian & Lavretsky, ), peripheral nerve degeneration (Araujo‐Filho et al, ), Alzheimer's disease (AD; Awasthi, Singh, Pandey, & Dwivedi, ; Essa et al, ), Parkinson's disease (PD; Mythri, Harish, & Bharath, ), muscular dystrophy (MS) (Sanadgol et al, ), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Nabavi et al, ), and neurotoxicity in general (D. K. Choi, Koppula, & Suk, ; Mehri et al, ). Furthermore, some natural compounds have been reported to affect important nervous system enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (Carradori, D'Ascenzio, Chimenti, Secci, & Bolasco, ; Hostettmann, Borloz, Urbain, & Marston, ).…”

Rapid determination of ginkgolic acids in Ginkgo biloba kernels and leaves by direct analysis in real time‐mass spectrometry

“…Ginkgo biloba has existed on the earth for millions of years [1]. Nowadays, the bioactive constituents extracted from G. biloba, such as flavonol glycosides and terpene lactones [2], have drawn increasingly more attention in the therapy of Alzheimer's disease [3], cognitive disorders [4], cardiovascular disease [5], and breast carcinoma [6]. Apart restricted to a maximum concentration of 5 and 10 μg/g in the European pharmacopoeia and Chinese pharmacopoeia, respectively.…”