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Researchers set out to understand the impact of a dietary supplement on adults with obesity, and found that it could have a notable impact on the brain.
Experts at the University of Oklahoma found that those who took urolithin A experienced increased blood flow to the brain while carrying out a mental task. Cerebral circulation, which is flow of blood through the network of blood vessels in the brain, plays a crucial part in the brain's ability to function.
"The brain needs an adequate supply of blood to meet the demands of mental activity," Ana Clara da Costa Pinaffi Langley, who is the study’s first author and an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Oklahoma, said.
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"We found that urolithin A increased blood flow to the brain during a memory task, suggesting the supplement may help the brain meet its increased need for oxygen and nutrients when it is working harder," she added.
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Urolithin A is a substance that is already produced by the body during digestion of certain foods like strawberries, pomegranates and walnut. However, current research suggests that as people age, and as body mass index increases, the amount of the substance people produce goes down.
Obesity is common among U.S. adults—more than two in five Americans are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—and is considered a risk factor for several chronic conditions including stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment later in life.
One reason why obesity could be linked with these conditions is because it is thought to change blood vessel function, resulting in endothelial dysfunction—a condition where blood vessels can constrict and narrow, affecting blood circulation around the body.
The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open on October 9.
What The Study Found
The researchers included 50 adults aged between 40 and 64, with a body mass index of 30 or higher, in the study. A BMI greater than 30 falls into the medical classification of obesity for adults. The participants either received 1000 milligrams of urolithin A daily (broken down into two doses of two 250 milligram capsules each), or a placebo for four weeks.
They found that participants taking the urolithin A had increased blood flow to the brain while carrying out the memory task, a change that was particularly notable in the region of the brain involved in working memory. Although, the supplement did not alter how well participants performed on the task.
The supplement also did not seem to have an impact on blood flow across the entire body as some areas did not experience significant change.
During the course of the study, participants reported a number of side effects, including headaches (which was the most common reported side effect), back pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, as well as others, although the researchers said that the supplement was generally well-tolerated.
What Do The Findings Mean?
The researchers said they believe the findings warrant further investigation into whether urolithin A could have notable benefits for brain health, particularly among those with obesity.
Dr. Andriy Yabluchanskiy, study co-author and associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Oklahoma, said that the findings "offer an interesting starting point for understanding how urolithin A affects the brain."
"Although we saw increased blood flow to the brain during mental activity, participants did not demonstrate measurable improvements in memory or attention," he added. "Future studies will need to determine whether taking the supplement for a longer period leads to meaningful improvements in cognitive function or other health benefits."
"This is an encouraging preliminary trial," Julie Andersen, a professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, who was not involved in the study, told Newsweek.
She said that while urolithin A was not found to improve blood vessel function throughout the body or scores on memory and attention tests, it is "still worth studying for the brain."
Previous preclinical studies published by Andersen and her team found that urolithin A treatment in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease showed "reduced neuropathology and improved cognition and attention."
"A longer trial in people with early cognitive change is what is needed to tell us whether these animal findings, and the early blood flow signals from this recent clinical study, matter for people," she said.
Reference
da Costa Pinaffi-Langley AC, Gulej R, Kaposzta Z, et al. (2026) Urolithin A and Endothelial and Cerebrovascular Function in Middle-Aged Adults With Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.38047
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and Tony Phillips.
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