A nutritional blend of taurine, vitamins B6, B9, and B12 improves motivated behaviors in healthy adults—a double-blinded randomized clinical trial

TL;DR

A blend of taurine and B vitamins improved motivation and task performance in healthy adults after four weeks of supplementation.

Contribution

A novel nutritional blend was tested and shown to enhance motivated behaviors through increased brain glutathione production.

Findings

Supplementation improved motivational performance after 14 and 28 days compared to placebo.

The blend reduced lapses in a psychomotor vigilance task after 14 days of use.

Participants showed consistent performance in effortful tasks while on the active blend.

Abstract

Motivation is a key driver in achieving goals and performing daily tasks, involving cost–benefit valuations of the amount of effort required for a particular reward and can be influenced by socio-environmental factors and neurological conditions that may impact the brain reward circuitry. Notably, research has shown that higher glutathione levels (GSH) in the nucleus accumbens are linked with better and more consistent performance in effortful tasks in both preclinical models and humans.

Building on these findings, we identified candidate nutrients found in foods that could enhance brain GSH production as a possible approach to sustain motivated behaviors. In primary astrocytes in vitro, we discovered that taurine was able to efficiently increase GSH production and protect mitochondria from oxidative stress damage, but only when levels of vitamin B9 were adequate. The above led us to test a blend of taurine, vitamin B6, B9, and B12 in humans, in a randomized, double-blind, 2-arm, cross-over study with 44 participants aged 25–40 years old. We assessed the impact of four-week supplementation of taurine, vitamins B6, B9, and B12 on effortful motivated behaviors. Motivational performance was measured by the Monetary Incentive Delay Task coupled to a physical effort after 14 days and 28 days of supplementation.

Results showed significant improvements after 14 days supplementation in the first period, as well as after 28 days in the second administration period, compared to placebo. Notably, when receiving the active blend, participants showed a consistent motivational performance throughout the task. The blend was also found to reduce the number of lapses during the Psychomotor Vigilance Task after 14 days, but not after 28 days of intake.

Overall, these findings demonstrate how targeted nutritional supplementation can sustain brain health and modulate behaviors, such as motivated and goal-oriented performance.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05733364, NCT05733364.

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