(P11-055-25) A Study Protocol to Investigate Cranberry Juice Consumption's Effects on Cognition, Stress Responses, and Mood During and After Intense Motor-Cognition Dual Tasking

Objectives: The primary objective is to determine how daily cranberry juice consumption affects cognitive and motor accuracy, mental and physiological stress during and after intense motor-cognition dual-tasking and to determine if it alleviates negative consequences of intense multitasking on fatigue, mood, anxiety, and sleep.

Methods: This 13-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial will involve 84 participants aged 30–55. Following 20 days of dietary restrictions, participants will be randomly assigned to consume either 8 ounces of cranberry or placebo juice daily for 10 weeks. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and at the end of the 10-week period. During each assessment, participants will undergo a motor-cognitive dual task, which will involve counting backward by 3, 7, and 17 from randomly assigned numbers between 799 and 999 while simultaneously performing a mouse accuracy test. Each series will last four minutes, followed by a 90-second break. Throughout the task, heart rate and galvanic skin response will be monitored to assess physiological stress responses. Mood and anxiety before and after the dual task will be self-assessed using visual analog mood scales and state-trait anxiety inventory. Mental fatigue, stress, depression, and sleep quality will be assessed using the Mental Fatigue Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, Beck’s Depression Inventory, and the Leeds Sleep Evaluation. Memory, attention, and learning ability will be assessed using the NIH toolbox and Rey auditory verbal learning test. Salivary α-amylase, cortisol, and selected neurotransmitters in plasma will be measured. Data will be analyzed with covariance analysis.

Results: It is hypothesized that chronic consumption of cranberry juice improves stress response and supports cognitive function by alleviating the negative consequences of intense multitasking on fatigue, mood, and anxiety and positively affects stress biomarkers and neurotransmitters.

Conclusions: Positive outcomes would suggest that bioactive polyphenols in cranberry juice offer psychological and physiological benefits to support mental and cognitive well-being.

Funding Sources: Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc.