Centella asiatica (Indian Pennywort) Extract and Exercise Increase Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Plasma, Cognition, and Physical Fitness among Menopausal Women

Abstract

Menopausal women are prone to cognitive disorders. Various therapies that have been developed to overcome this problem are the administration of Indian Pennywort (Centella asiatica) and exercise. Both have positive effects on cognitive function, but previous studies have not examined the combined effect of the two on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF), cognition, and physical fitness among menopausal women. Methods: This study used a pre and post-test design. Subjects consisted of 64 people who were divided into four groups, consisting Indian pennywort/IP group (500 mg daily), an exercise group (2x90 minutes per week), a group combination of IP-exercise (IP 500 mg daily and exercise for 2x90 minutes per week), and the control group. The intervention was given for 12 weeks. Results: The study showed that Indian Pennywort, exercise, and its combination can increase plasma BDNF, cognition, and physical fitness in menopausal women (p<0.05). Mann-Whitney test showed that the combination of Indian Pennywort and exercise caused the highest increase in plasma BDNF (∆=236; p=0.007), MoCA (∆=3.5; p<0.001), right-hand strength (∆ =4.6; p=0.001), left-hand strength (∆=3.5; p=0.001), and lower extremity strength (∆=6; p<0.001). Conclusion: Overall results showed that Indian Pennywort, exercise, and the combination of the two above were effective in ameliorated plasma BDNF, cognition, and physical fitness in menopausal women, but the combination provides a maximum effect compared to other groups.