An extract from asparagus improves sleep quality and reduces sleepiness and fatigue on awakening: A pilot randomized controlled trial | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 15 No. 4 (2025): April 2025 / Research Articles An extract from asparagus improves sleep quality and reduces sleepiness and fatigue on awakening: A pilot randomized controlled trial Authors Tsukasa Takahashi Jaehoon Seol Toshio Kokubo Kazunori Goto Jun Takanari DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v15i4.1574 Abstract Background: Good sleep is essential for a healthy, active life that supports disease prevention. Sleep debts caused by sleep deprivation, irregular sleep, and insomnia increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, mood disorders, dementia, and cancer. Today's lifestyles in developed countries are prone to sleep debts, which has led to social interventions that aim to reduce sleep-related health problems. ETAS®50 is a standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem, and has been reported to improve sleep quality, maintain sleep rhythms, and relieve mental stress.  Methods: This pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted in healthy adult males with sleep problems to evaluate the effects of ETAS®50 on sleep quality. Participants took ETAS®50 (300 mg/day) or placebo, and underwent an electroencephalogram, measured during sleep with a device known as the InSomnograf K2®.  They were given a subjective assessment of sleep through a questionnaire known as the Oguri-Shirakawa-Azumi sleep inventory, specifically the Middle-Aged and Aged version (OSA-MA). Trial registration: the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trial Registry UMIN000052913. Results: ETAS®50 showed a tendency to increase the ratio and total duration of Stage N3, known as the deepest stage in non-REM sleep (NREM). In addition, the subjective evaluation of sleep showed significant improvements in scores corresponding to tiredness upon rising, initiation and maintenance of sleep, refreshment after waking, and total scores. The total duration and ratio of Stage N3 are important indicators for assessing sleep quality. The favorable results suggested that dietary intake of ETAS®50 may improve sleep quality, enhancing subjective sleep assessment the next morning. Conclusion: Supplementation of ETAS®50 may offer a practical approach to improving sleep quality. Keywords: Sleep debts, electroencephalogram, ETAS®50, InSomnograf K2® Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2025-04-09 Issue Vol. 15 No. 4 (2025): April 2025 Section Research Articles License Copyright (c) 2025 Functional Foods in Health and Disease This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com