Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Sprout Powder, Perceived Cognitive Abilities, and Objective Processing Speed: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- 1Radicle Science, Inc.
Abstract
Subjective cognitive difficulties are common in midlife and later life, and flavonoid-rich foods may support everyday cognitive function. Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) sprouts are rich in rutin and other flavonoids, but their cognitive effects have not been tested in humans. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, US adults with self-reported cognitive difficulties received 18 g per day of Himalayan Tartary buckwheat (HTB) sprout powder or matched placebo for 12 weeks. Of 848 randomized participants, 662 were analyzed. While the rate of change in the primary outcome, PROMIS Cognitive Function, did not differ between arms (contrast = 0.03, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.13; p = .59),PROMIS Cognitive Abilities improved nominally faster with HTB (contrast = 0.12, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.24; p = .046), but not after Bonferroni adjustment. Among participants with final-week data (n = 296), more HTB than placebo participants achieved a meaningful ([≥]0.5 SD) improvement in Cognitive Abilities (68.7% vs 52.5%; RR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.59; p = .003). Fatigue, sleep-related impairment and depressive symptoms did not differ between arms. In exploratory computerized testing (n = 512), HTB participants had faster reaction times on the Flanker and Stroop tasks, without loss of accuracy. Exploratory epigenetic analyses (n = 34) identified hypothesis-generating signals in epigenetic age and immune-cell composition, none surviving multiple-testing correction. Side-effect rates were similar between arms. HTB sprout powder did not improve the primary outcome, but findings for perceived cognitive abilities and processing speed warrant confirmation in adequately powered trials. Trial registration: NCT07245784.
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BibTeX
@misc{white2026himalayan,
title = {{Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Sprout Powder, Perceived Cognitive Abilities, and Objective Processing Speed: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial}},
author = {K. P. White and J. L. Tartar and M. Roel and V. B. Dwaraka and M. Chau and A. Perlmutter and V. Starratt and J. Chen and S. J. Hewlings},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.64898/2026.11.03.26367186},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.03.26367186v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Sprout Powder, Perceived Cognitive Abilities, and Objective Processing Speed: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
AU - K. P. White
AU - J. L. Tartar
AU - M. Roel
AU - V. B. Dwaraka
AU - M. Chau
AU - A. Perlmutter
AU - V. Starratt
AU - J. Chen
AU - S. J. Hewlings
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.11.03.26367186
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.03.26367186v1
AB - Subjective cognitive difficulties are common in midlife and later life, and flavonoid-rich foods may support everyday cognitive function. Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) sprouts are rich in rutin and other flavonoids, but their cognitive effects have not been tested in humans. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, US adults with self-reported cognitive difficulties received 18 g per day of Himalayan Tartary buckwheat (HTB) sprout powder or matched placebo for 12 weeks. Of 848 randomized participants, 662 were analyzed. While the rate of change in the primary outcome, PROMIS Cognitive Function, did not differ between arms (contrast = 0.03, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.13; p = .59),PROMIS Cognitive Abilities improved nominally faster with HTB (contrast = 0.12, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.24; p = .046), but not after Bonferroni adjustment. Among participants with final-week data (n = 296), more HTB than placebo participants achieved a meaningful ([≥]0.5 SD) improvement in Cognitive Abilities (68.7% vs 52.5%; RR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.59; p = .003). Fatigue, sleep-related impairment and depressive symptoms did not differ between arms. In exploratory computerized testing (n = 512), HTB participants had faster reaction times on the Flanker and Stroop tasks, without loss of accuracy. Exploratory epigenetic analyses (n = 34) identified hypothesis-generating signals in epigenetic age and immune-cell composition, none surviving multiple-testing correction. Side-effect rates were similar between arms. HTB sprout powder did not improve the primary outcome, but findings for perceived cognitive abilities and processing speed warrant confirmation in adequately powered trials. Trial registration: NCT07245784.
ER -