Does daily supplementation with pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (mnemoPQQ®) improve cognitive function in healthy middle-aged to elderly Japanese volunteers?
Dietary Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (J Am Nutr Assoc 2021, PMID 34415830) — daily PQQ supplementation improved multiple aspects of cognitive function in healthy middle-aged to elderly individuals over 12 weeks. The abstract for Dietary Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt states no limitations.
Source: J Am Nutr Assoc 2021, PMID 34415830 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
J Am Nutr Assoc · 2021 · PMID 34415830 · DOI 10.1080/07315724.2021.1962770
Daily PQQ supplementation improved multiple aspects of cognitive function in healthy middle-aged to elderly individuals over 12 weeks.
The question
Does daily supplementation with pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (mnemoPQQ®) improve cognitive function in healthy middle-aged to elderly Japanese volunteers?
What they tested
Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) disodium salt will improve cognitive function, including memory, attention, judgment, and cognitive flexibility, in healthy middle-aged to elderly individuals due to its antioxidant activity and effects on mitochondrial activation, nerve cell protection, and amyloid β suppression.
How they did it
This was a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical investigation. 64 healthy Japanese male and female volunteers aged 40 to less than 80 years were randomly assigned to receive either 21.5 mg/day of mnemoPQQ® or a placebo. Cognitive performance was assessed using Cognitrax as the primary outcome, and the forgetfulness questionnaire (DECO) and Mini-Mental State Examination-Japanese (MMSE-J) as secondary outcomes.
What they found
58 subjects completed the study (31 placebo, 27 mnemoPQQ®). The mnemoPQQ® group showed significant improvements in Cognitrax's cognitive function domain scores for "composite memory", "verbal memory", "reaction time", "complex attention", "cognitive flexibility", "executive function", and "motor speed" compared to the placebo group. DECO and MMSE-J scores also significantly improved in the mnemoPQQ® group. No adverse events were observed.
| Placebo | 31 | |
|---|---|---|
| mnemoPQQ® | 27 |
Number of subjects who completed the 12-week study in each group.
What it means
Supplementation with PQQ disodium salt is useful for improving memory, attention, judgment, and overall cognitive function in middle-aged to elderly individuals who perceive age-related forgetfulness.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Effect of Dietary Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt on Cognitive Function in Healthy Volunteers |
|---|---|
| Journal | J Am Nutr Assoc |
| Year | 2021 |
| PMID | 34415830 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1080/07315724.2021.1962770 ↗ |
| Topic | NAD⁺, sirtuins & cellular energy |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone)
In human aging and health, PQQ is studied mainly for cognitive function, mitochondrial and energy support, antioxidant activity, and blood-lipid markers.
Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ, also called methoxatin) is a redox-active o-quinone compound found…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does daily supplementation with pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (mnemoPQQ®) improve cognitive function in healthy middle-aged to elderly Japanese volunteers? [Plain-English summary of J Am Nutr Assoc 2021, PMID 34415830, DOI 10.1080/07315724.2021.1962770]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d34415830.html@misc{magellan_d34415830,
title = {Does daily supplementation with pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt (mnemoPQQ®) improve cognitive function in healthy middle-aged to elderly Japanese volunteers?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d34415830.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 34415830; DOI 10.1080/07315724.2021.1962770; J Am Nutr Assoc 2021. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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