Can Nutrients and Dietary Supplements Potentially Improve Cognitive Performance Also in Esports?

Evaluation of night eating syndrome and food addiction in esports players

PURPOSE

Esports players' training takes long periods and they sit for a long time during competitions, which increases their risk of obesity and urges them to develop inappropriate eating behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the night-eating syndrome and food addiction in esports players.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 248 esports players who were members of a university's esports community. The study data were collected using an online questionnaire consisting of the descriptive information form, Night Eating Questionnaire, and Yale Food Addiction Scale.

RESULTS

The mean age of the sports players participating in the study was 22.19 ± 5.97 years. Of them, 55.6% had a normal body weight, 13.4% were obese, 54.4% played esports for 3 years or more, 13.3% experienced night eating syndrome, and 21.4% experienced food addiction. While the weekly duration of playing esports and skipping meals were associated with night eating syndrome, the weekly duration of playing esports and smoking were associated with food addiction (p < 0.05). Additionally, although there was no statistically significant difference, the risk of food addiction was 2.12 times higher in those with poor perceived sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

We observed that night eating syndrome was very common in esports players and that these individuals were at risk in terms of food addiction. Since esports has a more sedentary structure than traditional sports, we suggest that esports players should be evaluated in terms of their unhealthy eating behaviors and risk of eating disorders.

Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of Mangifera indica Extract (Stadice®) for Cognitive Function: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Background and objectives Stadice® is a proprietary herbal ingredient preparation standardized to mangiferin, developed to support cognitive wellness in healthy adults. Mangifera indica extract and its active constituent, mangiferin were known for its positive cognitive health benefits at experimental levels. This was an attempt to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Stadice® on healthy subjects. Materials and methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study was designed to study the efficacy and safety of Stadice®. Sixty healthy subjects who were regularly playing virtual/mobile/computer/laptop games online or offline were asked to consume a capsule containing 300 mg of Stadice® or placebo per day for seven days. Cognitive ability tests, that were part of the NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery and Auditory verbal learning tests were used to assess the cognitive health effects. Psychological stress response, anxiety, mood, subjective working memory, and cortisol levels were also assessed. All assessments were carried out at the baseline and at the end of the study. Results Stadice® was found to significantly improve mental speed, attention, working memory, response inhibition, and verbal learning and memory as evidenced by the results of the multiple cognitive ability tests. Additionally, Stadice ® showed beneficial responses in managing psychological stress in terms of handling nervousness, irritability, or mood swings. No safety concerns were found in the laboratory safety test parameters as they were within the normal physiological range and no adverse events were reported in this study. Conclusion The proprietary Mangifera indica extract (Stadice®) holds promise for enhancing cognitive abilities in healthy adults, particularly those engaged in esports. Improvements in learning, memory, mental speed, attention, response inhibition, and working memory among participants supplemented with Stadice® were observed with a good safety profile. Further exploration is warranted to ascertain its broader applicability as well as to elucidate the possible mechanisms.

Associations of Folate/Folic Acid Supplementation Alone and in Combination With Other B Vitamins on Dementia Risk and Brain Structure: Evidence From 466 224 UK Biobank Participants

Previous researchers have tried to explore the association between folate/folic acid intake and dementia incidence, but the results remain controversial. We evaluated the associations of folate/folic acid supplementation alone and in combination with other B vitamins on dementia risk and brain structure. A total of 466 224 UK Biobank participants were investigated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations between folate/folic acid supplementation status and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). Multivariable linear regression models were employed to evaluate the association between folate/folic acid supplementation status and brain structure. In the final model, folate/folic acid supplementation alone was significantly associated with a higher risk of AD (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.69, p = .015) and VD (HR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.21-2.13, p = .001). Folate/folic acid supplementation alone was associated with a reduction in the hippocampus (β = -95.25 mm3, 95% CI = -165.31 to -25.19 mm3, p = .014) and amygdala (β = -51.85 mm3, 95% CI = -88.02 to -15.68 mm3, p = .012). The risk of AD and VD, as well as brain structure, in the group with combined folate/folic acid supplementation and other B vitamins did not show a statistically significant difference compared to the reference group (all p > .05). Folate/folic acid supplementation alone is significantly associated with a higher risk of AD and VD, as well as adverse alterations in brain structure. However, when combined with other B vitamins, these detrimental effects can be counteracted.

Influence of Nitrogen-Modified Atmosphere Storage on Lipid Oxidation of Peanuts: From a Lipidomic Perspective

The effect of nitrogen-modified atmosphere storage (NS) on peanut lipid oxidation was investigated in this paper. Non-targeted lipidomics was employed to detect the lipid metabolites in peanuts with the aim of exploring the mechanism of lipid oxidation in peanuts under different storage conditions. The results showed that compared with conventional storage (CS), NS significantly (p < 0.05) delayed the increase in acid value, carbonyl value, and 2-thiobarbituric acid value and the decrease in vitamin E content. However, the storage time has a much greater effect on lipid oxidation than the oxygen level in the storage environment. Lipidomics analysis revealed that there were significant differences in metabolite changes between CS and NS. NS reduced the decline of most glycerophospholipids by regulating lipid metabolism in peanuts. NS maintained higher levels of Diacylglycerol (DAG), sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), lysophophatidylcholine (LPC), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) compared to CS. This work provided a basis for the application of NS technology to peanut storage.

Novel Energy Drink Improves Cognitive Function and Mood, without Influencing Myocardial Oxygen Demand or Ventricular Repolarization in Adult Gamers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial

OBJECTIVES

To examine the efficacy of acute consumption of a novel energy drink (C4S) versus placebo for improving cognitive and gaming performance and mood. Secondarily, we examined the cardiovascular safety profile of acute C4S consumption.

METHODS

Forty-five healthy, young adult video gamers completed two experimental visits in randomized order where they consumed either C4S or a placebo and then completed a validated battery of neurocognitive tests, played five video games, and completed a mood state survey. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation, and electrocardiogram measurements were taken at baseline and repeated throughout each visit.

RESULTS

Acute consumption of C4S improved cognitive flexibility (absolute mean or median difference [95% CI] = +4.3 [2.2-6.4]; p < 0.001; d = 0.63), executive function (+4.3 [2.3-6.3]; p < 0.001; d = 0.63), sustained attention (+2.1 [0.6-3.6]; p = 0.01; d = 0.44), motor speed (+2.9 [0.8-4.9]; p < 0.001; d = 0.44), psychomotor speed (+3.9 [0.1-7.7]; p = 0.04; d = 0.32) working memory (+1.0 [0.1-1.9]; p = 0.02; d = 0.35), and performance in the two-dimensional visuospatial game Tetris (+463 [-419-2,065] pts; p = 0.049; d = 0.30) compared to placebo. C4S also improved Fatigue-Inertia (-1 [-3-0]; p = 0.004; d = 0.45), Vigor-Activity (+2.4 [1.3-3.6]; p < 0.001; d = 0.64), Friendliness (+0 [0-1]; p = 0.04; d = 0.32), and Total Mood Disturbance (-3 [-6-0]; p = 0.002; d = 0.44). BP increased slightly in C4S versus placebo, while HR decreased from baseline to post-drink in the C4S condition. Rate-pressure-product was higher in C4S versus placebo independent of time but did not increase from baseline. There was no effect on corrected QT interval.

CONCLUSION

Acute consumption of C4S was efficacious for cognitive performance, visuospatial gaming performance, and mood enhancement, and had no effect on myocardial oxygen demand or ventricular repolarization, despite being associated with increases in BP.

The impact of videogames on the mood of amateur youth players during consecutive games

Introduction

Esports have experienced tremendous growth in recent years. In the scientific field, previous research has shown the determining role of psychology in competitive performance, but little is known about the factors that may be more determinant. In addition, in the amateur field, where fun and enjoyment are the most important factors, it has been observed that players can see their psychological state altered due to different factors, but it is not known if the outcome of the game (win or lose) can be influential. For this reason, the aim of the present investigation was to analyze changes in players' mood between three consecutive games as a function of the outcome of each game.

Methods

A total of 14 amateur players participated in the research, all of them with previous experience and being regular League of Legends players. The participants completed the POMS questionnaire before the start of each game and the outcome of each game was recorded at the end.

Results

The results showed that no significant pre-game differences were found in any of the games, regardless of winning or losing. Significant differences were found in the pre-game mood between the first and second game, according to the outcome of the first game, and between the second and third game, according to the outcome of the second game. Between the first and second games, there was a significant increase in depression (p = 0.038) and anger (p = 0.003) when the first game was lost; and between the second and third games, there was a decrease in tension (p = 0.003) and anger (p = 0.022) when the second game was won. In addition, it should be noted that fatigue increased significantly after each game, regardless of the outcome, and with respect to the change in mood, this was more noticeable when the first game was lost and the second was won, as significant changes were observed in tension (p = 0.028), depression (p = 0.030) and anger (p = 0.006).

Conclusion

Pre-match mood does not influence post-match performance, but mood changes do occur between successive matches depending on the outcome of the match.

Creatine Activity as a Neuromodulator in the Central Nervous System

Creatine is a nutritional compound that potentially influences cognitive processing and neuroprotection. Recent evidence has demonstrated that similar to neurotransmitters, creatine is released in an excitotoxic and action potential-dependent manner and acts as a neuromodulator. Creatine deficiency syndromes are characterized by severe mental and developmental disorders. Studies have reported that brain creatine content could be enhanced with creatine supplementation. Nevertheless, there is still limited knowledge about the effects of creatine on the central nervous system. However, ample evidence has proved the neuroprotective effects of creatine on various mental aspects, such as cognition, memory skills, and spatial memory. The present review aimed to review available experimental data and clinical observations confirming creatine roles in the central transmission process. A systematic search in the literature was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar database using all available MeSH terms for Creatine, Phosphocreatine, Bioenergetics, Nervous system, Brain, Cognition, and Neuroprotection. Electronic database searches were combined and duplicates were removed. Here, first, creatine and its potential influence on cognitive health and performance were briefly reviewed. Next, the existing experimental and clinical evidence was specifically explored to understand how creatine could interact as a neurotransmitter in the nervous system. Studies have revealed that exogenous creatine supplementation decreases neuronal cell loss in experimental paradigms of neurological diseases. It was observed that creatine could interact with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, Na+-K+-ATPase enzyme, GABAA receptor, serotonin 1A receptors, and presumably α1-adrenoceptor and play critical roles in the central transmission process which implies that creatine can be considered a neuromodulator.

Nutrition, lifestyle, and cognitive performance in esport athletes

Introduction

Electronic sports, termed esports, is a growing athletic activity in which high levels of attention and cognitive performance are required. With its increasing popularity and competitiveness, interest in strategies to improve performance have emerged. Improving esports athlete performance, namely cognitive endurance, and resilience, may lie in nutritional or lifestyle factors. The Nutrition, Vision, and Cognition in Sport Studies (IONSport) investigated nutritional and behavioral factors that can influence cognition via 3-dimensional multiple objects tracking test (3DMOT) via Neurotracker X (NTx) software. The purpose of this study was to characterize the lifestyle of high level esports athletes with detailed nutrition, sleep, and physical activity assessments, and their association to gaming related cognitive performance.

Methods

103 male and 16 elite female esports athletes aged 16 to 35 years old completed surveys, food records, and cognitive testing sessions over 10 days. Participants were instructed to maintain their normal dietary and lifestyle habits.

Results

There were positive significant associations between average NTx scores and the following nutrients: magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc, selenium, thiamin, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, folate, cholesterol, saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, and choline. Majority of participants did not meet recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for these micronutrients nor the recommended intakes for dairy, fruit, and vegetables. There was a significant (p = 0.003) positive (r = 0.272) association between total vegetable intake and average NTx score. There was a significant negative association (p = 0.015) with our final sustain session, which measured cognitive resilience, and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale score. Repeated measures analysis was done with these groups over the 18 core NTx sessions. There were significant (p = 0.018) differences between the two groups with those who consumed the recommended amount of protein or more performing significantly better on NTx over the 18 sessions than those that did not consume enough protein. Those who consumed the recommended intakes for riboflavin, phosphorous, vitamin B12, and selenium performed significantly better over the 18 core NTx sessions than those that did not meet the recommended amounts.

Discussion

The need for a nutrition intervention that is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals is warranted in this population.

Spotlight on Digital Eye Strain

Digital Eye Strain (DES) is a clinical syndrome manifested with visual disturbances and/or ophthalmic dysfunction related to the usage of screen-enabled digital equipment. This term is gradually replacing the older term computer vision syndrome (CVS) that focused on the same symptoms found on personal computer users. DES is encountered more frequently during the past years due to the explosive increase in the usage of digital devices and subsequent increase in time in front of any screens. It presents with a series of atypical symptoms and signs stemming from asthenopia, dry eye syndrome, preexisting untreated vision issues and poor screen ergonomics. This review summarizes research data to date to determine whether the concept of DES has been conclusively defined and demarcated as a separate entity and if sufficient guidance is offered on professionals and the lay public. The maturity of the field, grouping of symptoms, examination techniques, treatment and prevention modalities are summarily presented.

The eSports Medicine: Pre-Participation Screening and Injuries Management-An Update

Recently, electronic sports (eSports) became one of the growing forms of new media due to the wide diffusion of games and online technologies. Even if there is still a debate about the definition and characterization of eSports, eAthletes train heavily, compete in tournaments, must abide by competition, association, and governing body rules, just like all other athletes. Furthermore, as in any other competitive discipline, there can be injuries. Aberrant sitting posture, repetitive movements, screen vision, prolonged playing hours, and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to several medical hazards in musculoskeletal, ophthalmology, neurological, and metabolic systems. Moreover, several cardiovascular changes occur in eAthletes. This paper aims to explore the different injuries that can occur in a professional eAthlete, suggesting how every high-level gamer could benefit from a pre-participation evaluation and a correct injury prevention strategy.

Health Consequences of Intensive E-Gaming: A Systematic Review

The aim of this review is to examine the links among the different factors that determine harmful or even deadly events in professional and semiprofessional intensive Esports players. Cases of serious injuries or even death in young (<35 years old) male professional Esports players are reported every year. Fatalities and injuries in professional Esports players (PEGS) have only affected male players, and these events have mostly been concentrated in Asia. Studies in the literature have reported several causes and mechanisms of injuries. Links between injuries and previous comorbidities have emerged from the extant literature; obesity and/or metabolic disorders, seizures (associated with overstimulation of the eyes), heart malfunctions, high basal and abrupt increases in systolic blood pressure (SBP), prolonged stress, and poor posture have been associated with injuries. Several clinical signs have been identified and the question emerges whether or not self-regulation by Esports associations or public health authorities is necessary.

Nutrition Patterns of Polish Esports Players

The aim of this study was to quantify the dietary patterns (DPs) of Polish esports players aged 18-26 years. Data were obtained via questionnaires that assessed dietary habits and frequency of food consumption. Dietary patterns were derived using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Factor Analysis (FA). In total, nine distinct DPs were identified. Eight DPs were considered unhealthy; 'fast food', 'High-processed food, meat and confectionery', 'Sweet', 'Fat-diary products', 'Vegetable-fruit', 'Spices and additives', 'Fats' and 'Cereal'; and only one was deemed healthy. E-athletes presented mostly poor dietary habits, which included: irregular eating of meals, frequent snacking, at least three meals a day and composition of snacks, frying of meat dishes and sweetening of hot drinks. Healthy dietary habits included proper hydration during the day and consumption of mainly non-sparkling water. The unbalanced and largely unhealthy dietary habits of esports players raise health concerns for these e-athletes, particularly when combined with a sedentary lifestyle. Future research could assess the nutritional knowledge of this group as it relates to national guidelines, investigate interventions designed to introduce healthier eating options into their lifestyle and examine the relationship between DPs and health or cognitive performance.

Ketogenic and Modified Mediterranean Diet as a Tool to Counteract Neuroinflammation in Multiple Sclerosis: Nutritional Suggestions

Ketogenic Diet is a nutritional pattern often used as dietotherapy in inflammatory diseases, including neurological disorders. Applied on epileptic children since 1920, in recent years it has been taken into account again as a tool to both reduce inflammatory burdens and ameliorate the nutritional status of patients affected by different pathologies. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered an immune-mediated neuro-inflammatory disease and diet is a possible factor in its pathogenesis. The aim of this work is to investigate the main potential targets of MS-related impairments, in particular the cognitive deficits, focusing on the alteration of biomarkers such as the Brain Derived-Neurotrophic Factor and the Tryptophan/Kynurenine ratio that could play a role on neuroprotection and thus on MS progression. Furthermore, we here propose nutritional suggestions which are useful in the development of a ketogenic diet protocol that takes advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of low-carbohydrate foods from the Mediterranean diet to be applied to subjects with MS. In conclusion, this approach will allow one to develop the ketogenic diet combined with a modified Mediterranean diet as a possible tool to improve neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis.

The Role of Different Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors in the Context of Pharmaceutical Cognitive Enhancers' Misuse

In an effort for better memory, greater motivation, and concentration, otherwise healthy individuals use pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers (PCEs), medicines for the treatment of cognitive deficits of patients with various disorders and health problems, to achieve greater productivity, efficiency, and performance. We examined the use of PCEs among 289 students at the Slovenian Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the behavioral and psychosocial context (students' attitudes towards study, parents, health, leisure time, and work). Furthermore, we also addressed the immediate reasons, or the hypothesized connections of behavioral and psychosocial aspects, related to PCE misuse. The study consisted of a structured questionnaire, and chi-squared tests were used. An analysis of student statements revealed differences in students' and parents' attitudes toward good academic grades. In addition, students chose among 17 values related to relationships with parents, friends, partners, careers, study obligations, leisure, hobbies, material goods, appearance, and the future, and assessed their importance. Regardless of the group they belonged to, young people cited the same values among the most important. Good grades and parental opinions have proven to be key factors in the context of PCE abuse. This research was the first study to examine the relation between PCE misuse and the role of different behavioral and psychosocial factors.