A Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Effects of Curcumin and Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Supplementation on Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Mood Disturbance in Adults.
Combined EGCG and curcumin supplementation did not show additional benefits beyond placebo for mood disturbance or serum BDNF over eight weeks, with significant improvements observed across all participants suggesting behavioral or lifestyle factors may play a larger role in short-term mood improvements than supplementation alone.
Key Findings
Results
Significant improvements in mood disturbance were observed across all participants regardless of treatment group.
DASS-21 composite score and all subscales improved significantly (p < 0.001 for all)
GAD-7 scores also improved significantly (p < 0.001)
No significant difference was found between the supplement group and the placebo group
Improvements occurred over the 8-week intervention period with assessments at baseline, Week 4, and Week 8
Results
Sleep disturbance and physical activity improved significantly across all participants over the intervention period.
Sleep disturbance as measured by the GSAQ improved significantly (p < 0.001)
Physical activity as measured by the IPAQ improved significantly (p < 0.01)
No significant differences between supplement and placebo groups were reported for these outcomes
These were assessed as secondary outcomes using repeated measures ANOVA
Results
Serum BDNF increased in both groups but did not reach statistical significance.
Mean serum BDNF increased in both the supplement and placebo groups
Neither group showed a statistically significant increase in serum BDNF
No group-by-time interactions were observed for serum BDNF
Fasted blood samples for serum BDNF were collected at baseline and Week 8
Results
Sugar intake was positively correlated with mood symptoms at Week 8 in the supplement group.
Sugar intake expressed as g/kg body weight was positively correlated with mood symptoms at Week 8 specifically in the supplement group
Dietary data were collected via 24-hour diet recalls at baseline and Week 8
Dietary changes during the intervention were not significantly related to changes in mood outcomes overall
Results
Baseline fruit and vegetable intake was associated with mood symptom severity at select time points.
Baseline fruit and vegetable intake was associated with mood symptom severity at select time points
This association was not consistent across all time points
Dietary changes during the intervention were not significantly related to changes in mood outcomes
Methods
The study was an 8-week randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial with 64 adult participants receiving daily doses of 350 mg EGCG and 1330 mg curcumin.
Participants were adults aged 18–50 years (n = 64)
Supplement group (n = 32) received 350 mg EGCG and 1330 mg curcumin daily
Placebo group (n = 32) received a matched placebo
Primary outcomes (DASS-21 composite score and BDNF) were evaluated using multivariate ANOVA, followed by repeated measures ANOVA for secondary outcomes
Statistical significance threshold was set at p < 0.05
Cavanah A, Robinson L, Aguilar M, Molaison E, Greene M, Roberts M, et al.. (2026). A Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Effects of Curcumin and Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Supplementation on Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Mood Disturbance in Adults.. Nutrients. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18050855