Benefits
Memory and attention tests in older adults with memory complaints
In two placebo-controlled trials in adults aged 55 to 75, Brainphyt at 550 mg a day for 24 weeks or 1,100 mg a day for 12 weeks did not differ from placebo on the registered primary test, Corsi block span, or on any other cognitive test. Gains in word recall, Stroop and vigilance scores were changes within the Brainphyt group. Microphyt funded both.
Blood hs-CRP over 24 weeks in older adults
In the 24 week trial, hs-CRP, a blood marker of inflammation, fell from 3.9 to 2.1 mg/L on 550 mg a day while placebo stayed near 3.4 mg/L, a difference at week 24. This was a secondary outcome in a trial whose primary memory test was null, with no correction for many outcomes, and other inflammation markers did not differ.
Perceived stress and sleep ratings
In the 24 week trial, perceived stress scores fell within the Brainphyt group but did not differ from placebo. In the 12 week trial, the Brainphyt group reported easier waking after 4 weeks and less frequent anger on one stress item, but these were questionnaire comparisons among many, without correction for multiple tests.
Cognitive tests in young video gamers, combined with guarana
In 61 young gamers, 440 or 880 mg a day of Microphyt's extract plus guarana with about 40 mg of caffeine for 30 days showed no group by time effect on the four registered primary attention and reaction tests, and gaming scores did not differ. Placebo had no guarana, so any effect cannot be assigned to the extract.
Body weight during a diet and exercise program
In women with overweight on a 12 week diet and exercise program (37 of 71 finished), Microphyt's extract providing 4.4 mg fucoxanthin a day did not add weight or fat loss beyond the program. Bone density and peak aerobic capacity changed more than with placebo, while blood lipids, resting heart rate, step counts and quality of life did not differ significantly between groups. Microphyt funded the trial.
Memory tasks in aging-model mice (animal study)
In mice given D-galactose to model accelerated aging, food containing Brainphyt at the three higher of four doses prevented losses in maze and avoidance memory tests and lowered brain markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. Three authors worked for Microphyt, and these are animal findings only.
Mechanism of action
Fucoxanthin absorbed as fucoxanthinol
In a crossover trial of whole Phaeodactylum tricornutum biomass, not Brainphyt, fucoxanthin from the alga was absorbed and appeared in blood as its metabolites fucoxanthinol and amarouciaxanthin A, and plasma EPA rose as with fish oil. This shows the alga's fucoxanthin can reach the bloodstream, not that it affects the brain.
Oxidative stress and inflammation markers in mice
In D-galactose aging-model mice, Brainphyt in food lowered lipid peroxidation and the inflammatory signals TNF-alpha and IL-6 in brain and plasma, which the maker's authors propose underlies the memory findings. In people, only hs-CRP differed from placebo, and IL-6 and TNF-alpha did not.
Clinical trials
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel trial of two 275 mg Brainphyt capsules a day (550 mg, 0.8% fucoxanthin, 4.4 mg fucoxanthin) versus maltodextrin for 24 weeks; prospectively registered as NCT04832412 with Corsi block span as the single primary outcome; fully funded by Microphyt, and two of seven authors (Maury, Pradelles) are Microphyt researchers; no correction for multiple comparisons (Goodbody et al. 2025, Front Aging)
66 adults aged 55 to 75 with age-associated memory impairment, 33 per group.
No between-group difference on the primary outcome (Corsi block span) or on any other cognitive test at 12 or 24 weeks. Stroop reaction time and delayed word recall improved within the Brainphyt group only. hs-CRP fell from 3.9 to 2.1 mg/L versus 3.4 to 3.3 mg/L on placebo (p = 0.002 at week 24), a secondary result; other inflammation markers and perceived stress did not differ from placebo. One serious adverse event, an abnormal GGT rise on Brainphyt, was judged unlikely related.
Double-blind, randomized, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled trial of four 275 mg Brainphyt capsules a day (1,100 mg, 8.8 mg fucoxanthin) versus maltodextrin for 12 weeks; registered as NCT05759910 about 10 months after it started, with Corsi block span as the primary outcome; funded by a Microphyt grant to Texas A&M University, and two authors (Maury, Pradelles) are Microphyt researchers (Yoo et al. 2024, Nutrients)
43 physically active adults, mean age 64, with self-perceived cognitive and memory decline (21 placebo, 22 Brainphyt).
Corsi block span showed no time or group by time effect, and no cognitive test showed a significant group by time interaction. The authors' reported gains in word recall, picture recognition, digit vigilance and Stroop scores rest on changes from baseline and trends (p 0.05 to 0.10). Insulin fell within the Brainphyt group. Side effects were infrequent and similar between groups.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 440 mg (low dose) or 880 mg (high dose) of Microphyt's Phaeodactylum tricornutum extract at 1% fucoxanthin, each with 500 mg guarana (40 to 44 mg caffeine), versus placebo without guarana, for 30 days; registered as NCT04851899, whose record names the ingredient BrainPhyt, with four attention and reaction primary outcomes; funded by Microphyt under a fee-for-service contract, and two authors (Maury, Pradelles) are Microphyt researchers (Leonard et al. 2023, Nutrients)
61 experienced video gamers (51 men, 10 women), mean age about 22, completed the study.
Card sorting, go/no-go, psychomotor vigilance and light reaction tests showed no significant group by time effects; a post-game Sternberg reaction time interaction reached p = 0.046, and gaming scores and mood did not differ between groups. Because only the active groups received caffeine-containing guarana, effects cannot be assigned to the extract.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Microphyt's Mi136 extract providing 4.4 mg fucoxanthin a day (a 2% PhaeoSol softgel or 0.8% powder capsules) for 12 weeks during supervised exercise and a reduced-calorie diet; registered as NCT04761406; the registry lists body fat mass as the only primary outcome, while the paper names body composition and bone density as primary outcomes; funded by Microphyt with Increnovo LLC, and two authors (Maury, Pradelles) are Microphyt researchers (Dickerson et al. 2024, Nutrients)
71 women with overweight randomized; 37 (18 extract, 19 placebo) completed 12 weeks; mean age 28.6.
The extract did not produce additional weight or fat loss. Bone mineral density rose while placebo lost some (interaction p = 0.010), and peak aerobic capacity rose more than with placebo (p = 0.032). Blood lipids and resting heart rate did not differ significantly between groups, quality of life answers did not differ by group, steps per day showed only a trend, and minimal dizziness was reported more often with the extract (p = 0.047).
Controlled animal study of Brainphyt (Mi136, 2% fucoxanthin) added to food at human-equivalent doses of 120 to 370 mg a day for 79 days in mice injected with D-galactose; funded by Microphyt as a fee-for-service project at Amylgen, with three Microphyt employees among four authors (Maury et al. 2024, Mar Drugs)
72 male mice, 12 per group (an animal study).
At the three higher doses, D-galactose losses in Y-maze, water maze and passive avoidance memory tests were prevented, with values like untreated controls, and brain and plasma lipid peroxidation, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were lower than in untreated D-galactose mice. Animal findings do not show effects in people.