Anserine and memory
What 6 graded rows on anserine agree on for memory, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Anserine page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Anserine page, with its PubMed record.
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Anserine and memory
6 rows · 1,162 peopleMostly an improvement: 5 of 6 rows, and most of the people. 1 had mixed results.
- CGrade C× 2
- DGrade D× 4
- Rows
- 6
- Trials
- 6
- At least: a review without a trial count
- People
- 1,162
- Pooled reviews may count some twice
What the rows share
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade C, is a meta-analysis of 794 people (2021) and found an improvement.
The rows run from 30 to 794 people, published from 2016 to 2026: 2 pooled reviews and 4 single studies.
The rows
5 improved · 1 mixed- CGrade CWorking memory with daily chicken essence · Improved
Meta-analysis · n 794 · 2021 · Mostly healthy people in 8 randomized trials
Daily chicken essence; amounts not stated in the abstract · Not stated in the abstract
Working memory improved vs control (SMD 0.31, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.46); other cognitive domains were less consistent.
- CGrade CDelayed verbal recall (Wechsler logical memory) in older adults · Improved
Meta-analysis · n 177 · 2026 · Healthy older adults and people with mild neurocognitive disorder in three Japanese trials
1 g/day (3:1 anserine to carnosine) · 12 weeks to 12 months
Pooled delayed recall improved vs placebo (net change 1.70, 95% CI 0.19 to 3.2) but immediate recall did not (0.76, 95% CI -0.18 to 1.71); the review rated the cognition evidence low strength.
- DGrade DVerbal memory and frontal brain blood flow over 12 months · Improved
RCT · n 68 · 2018 · Adults aged 65 or older (Japan); sub-analysis by APOE e4 carrier status
750 mg anserine plus 250 mg carnosine a day · 12 months
The supplement preserved verbal memory (WMS-LM, p = 0.0445) and frontal blood flow vs placebo; blood flow and white-matter benefits were seen in APOE e4 carriers but not in non-carriers.
- DGrade DDelayed verbal recall and brain blood flow · Improved
RCT · n 39 · 2016 · Healthy older adults aged 60 to 78 (Japan)
1.0 g/day (about 750 mg anserine plus 250 mg carnosine) vs placebo · 3 months
Delayed verbal recall was better preserved than with placebo (p = 0.013), and an age-related fall in blood flow in one brain region was smaller. A second small trial in the same paper also found preserved delayed recall.
- DGrade DMMSE score in mild cognitive impairment · Improved
RCT · n 30 · 2021 · Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (Japan)
500 mg/day vs placebo · 12 weeks
MMSE rose 1.9 points with anserine versus no change with placebo (p = 0.036).
- DGrade DCognition in mild cognitive impairment · Mixed
RCT · n 54 · 2019 · Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (Japan)
750 mg anserine plus 250 mg carnosine a day vs placebo · 12 weeks
The global Clinical Dementia Rating improved more than placebo (p = 0.023), but MMSE, Wechsler Memory Scale and ADAS did not. In APOE4 carriers, MMSE also improved.