Phospholipid Capsules for Cognitive Enhancement in Patients with Normal Liver Function
There is insufficient evidence to recommend phospholipid capsules for brain function enhancement in patients with normal liver enzymes, as the available research shows conflicting results and no established clinical benefit in healthy individuals.
Evidence Quality and Applicability
The provided guidelines 1 focus exclusively on hepatic encephalopathy in patients with chronic liver disease and do not address cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals with normal liver function. These guidelines are not applicable to your clinical scenario.
Research Evidence Analysis
Conflicting Study Results
Negative findings in healthy adults: A well-designed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of soy-derived phosphatidylserine (300-600mg daily for 12 weeks) in 120 elderly subjects with age-associated memory impairment found no significant differences in memory, learning, reaction time, planning, or attentional functions compared to placebo 2.
Limited positive findings: One study of porcine liver decomposition product containing phospholipids showed modest improvements in visual memory and delayed recall, but only in adults over 40 years of age and only after 4 weeks of administration 3. This study had significant limitations including small sample size and gender imbalance 3.
Mild cognitive impairment population: A 2025 trial in Chinese patients with diagnosed mild cognitive impairment (not healthy individuals) showed improvements in arithmetic testing, similarity testing, and short-term memory with a combination supplement containing phosphatidylserine, α-linolenic acid, ginkgo flavonoids, and B vitamins 4. However, this population and multi-ingredient formulation cannot be extrapolated to healthy individuals seeking cognitive enhancement.
Clinical Recommendation
For patients with normal liver enzymes seeking cognitive enhancement, phospholipid supplementation cannot be recommended based on current evidence, as:
The highest quality study in the most relevant population (healthy elderly with memory complaints) showed no benefit 2.
Positive studies either used diseased populations (mild cognitive impairment) 4 or showed only marginal effects in specific age subgroups with methodological limitations 3.
No guideline-level evidence supports this use in healthy individuals.
Important Caveats
Do not confuse this with therapeutic use in liver disease: Phospholipids and nutritional supplementation have established roles in hepatic encephalopathy management 1, but this is an entirely different clinical context involving diseased patients, not cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals.
Multi-ingredient formulations complicate interpretation: The positive study 4 used a combination product with B vitamins, ginkgo, and omega-3 fatty acids, making it impossible to attribute benefits specifically to phosphatidylserine.
Age-specific effects remain unproven: While one study suggested benefit only in those over 40 3, this finding requires replication in larger, longer-duration trials before clinical application.