Givaudan’s Cereboost cognition research points beyond motorsport to everyday focus

Interest in cognitive health solutions is expanding beyond traditional aging applications, driving ingredient suppliers such as Givaudan to explore how ingredients can boost focus, mental performance, and everyday cognitive demands, building on a study with professional race car drivers. 

Previous research links the company’s Cereboost ingredient, a standardized American ginseng extract, to benefits in attention, recovery, and memory. 

Nutrition Insight speaks with David Ferguson, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University, US, about the potential role of Cereboost in supporting cognition. 

His research on the ingredient supports cognitive performance in professional motorsports and highlights how high-pressure environments can provide insights into mental fatigue, decision-making, and cognitive nutrition. 

According to Ferguson, the implications of the motorsport study may extend into other sports, such as soccer and e-gaming, where participants are making rapid decisions under sustained cognitive load, and into everyday life. 

“Consumers face major cognitive challenges that also require sustained focus: in their jobs, when studying, or in managing the competing demands of families and work.” 

Referencing data from Innova Market Insights, he details that 25% of US consumers are now prioritizing brain health as part of their physical health and are seeking natural, effective nutraceutical solutions such as Cereboost for mental performance.

Model for cognition

Ferguson says motorsport is a compelling model for cognitive science because performance is immediately measurable, from lap times and pit-stop durations to radio response speed and error rate. 

Ferguson says the motorsport study findings may extend into other sports and everyday life (image credit: Givaudan).“The brain fatigues under load, with emotional stress, repeated decision-making, and sustained attention draining cognitive resources. Cognitive neuroscience research has repeatedly demonstrated that as mental fatigue ramps up, focus fades, reaction times slow, accuracy declines, and decision quality deteriorates.”

“In the extreme pressure environment of competitive motorsports, these deficits accumulate to affect all aspects of performance. Put simply, they can make the critical difference between having a crash and a podium finish,” he details. 

Ferguson says the study results add to a growing body of clinical research showing Cereboost benefits attention, recovery, mental fatigue, and memory, while supporting multiple health claims.

For example, Givaudan says Health Canada approved claims that a daily Cereboost dose of 200 mg helps support attention in healthy individuals, helps reduce mental fatigue, helps support cognitive function or performance, as well as supporting working memory.

“Seeing its performance benefits for racing drivers highlights its efficacy for consumers seeking evidence-based cognitive support anchored in real-world demands,” Ferguson adds.

Professional race car drivers

Ferguson assessed the effect of Cereboost on the reaction times of professional race car drivers in a racing simulator. The 2025 Frontiers in Sports and Active Living open-label study, partly funded by Givaudan, included 58 licensed drivers.

Cereboost is a standardized American ginseng extract, which research links to benefits in attention, recovery, and memory (image credit: Givaudan).He adds: “The drivers completed a four-phase protocol: baseline testing, an acute 200 mg dose of Cereboost, two weeks of daily 200 mg supplementation, and a final test combining chronic use with an acute dose.” 

According to Ferguson, the results showed significant improvements in driving performance in the acute on chronic test, including a three-second reduction in lap time and faster throttle application in corners. 

“What makes the study so important is that it’s the first to demonstrate that supporting cognitive performance can produce racing-relevant, athletic performance gains. In a sport where teams spend large amounts of money optimizing engines, aerodynamics, and tires to shave tenths of a second off lap times, Cereboost produced better results.”

Acute or chronic use

Although a single acute Cereboost dose had no influence on the fastest lap time, driving error rate, or number of laps completed, Ferguson says that regular supplementation produced significant results compared with baseline. 

“Previous research has shown that professional drivers with simulator experience and who have driven the simulator track in real life, as in this study, reach a learning plateau. In this study, this limited the effect of learning, leading the researchers to suggest that acute-on-chronic Cereboost supplementation could be the primary factor responsible for the performance enhancements.”

As an acute-on-chronic use, participants consumed 200 mg of Cereboost daily for two weeks, followed by another 200 mg dose two hours before repeating the racing test. 

Ferguson points to subjective feedback from the drivers as one of the most interesting aspects of the study, noting that 97% reported improvements in mental acuity and 94% said it improved their driving capabilities. 

“In the elite sport of motor racing, this feeling of heightened performance is crucial and can significantly impact a driver’s confidence and decision-making on the track, which may result in better outcomes during competition.”

“This combination of subjective and objective outcomes is important when assessing nutritional interventions in all athletes,” adds Ferguson. “The ability to feel improvements quickly (as reported by 91% of drivers) and faster than other solutions they stated having tried (77%) can be highly motivating.”