ETAS®

Asparagus extract for stress relief, sleep and cognitive function

ETAS® is a standardized asparagus extract which alleviates the effects of stress by controlling the levels of cortisol. ETAS® also shows a clinically validated efficacy for sleep improvement, support of mood and cognitive function, and protection of neuronal cells. ETAS® active components are natural molecules with a capacity to induce cytoprotective heat-shock proteins.

ETAS®, a standardized Asparagus extract

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is used in traditional medicine for its multiple health-supporting properties including diuretic, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects.

Researchers from Japanese universities, and from the Hokkaido-based company Amino Up Co., have uncovered a new property of Asparagus. Amino Up’s proprietary ingredient ETAS®, obtained from Asparagus stalks, displays clinically proven benefits on stress-relief, sleep control, and cognitive function. ETAS® beneficial effects mostly derive from its capacity to induce the expression of a major stress-response protein: Heat Shock Protein 70.

Human clinical studies have demonstrated an increase of HSP70 in blood cells following consumption of 100mg/day of ETAS®, after only one week.

ETAS® exerts anti-stress effects

Stress contributes to various psychological disorders such as insomnia, depression, and fatigue. Stress-induced release of the steroid hormone cortisol also leads to physical dysfunctions: immunosuppression, reduction of bone formation and collagen synthesis, damage to neuronal cells.

HSPs are actually called “stress proteins”, since their expression is induced by physical, chemical and biological stresses, but also by psychological stress. HSPs contribute to protect our cells against the deleterious effects of stress. They also play a crucial role in the negative feedback system which controls cortisol levels: activation of the glucocorticoid receptor, which down-regulates cortisol production, requires both HSP70 and HSP90.

ETAS® effect on HSP expression and stress-related markers has been evaluated in several animal and human studies. Consumption of ETAS® leads to an increased expression of HSP70, and a modulation of the stress markers cortisol and chromogranin A levels in serum and saliva.

ETAS® and sleep improvement

Sleep disorders are commonly associated with stress, and have a serious impact on daytime functioning and quality of life. A human clinical study has shown the ETAS® intake could improve the quality of sleep in people with low sleep efficiency or excess sleep time. It is thought that ETAS® can adjust the succession of rapid-eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, leading to better sleep quality and more adequate sleeping time. ETAS® also normalizes circadian rhythm by regulating the expression of melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2.

Cognitive function

Several published in vitro and animal studies have shown the capacity of ETAS® to protect cells against various types of chemical and oxidative stress-inducing aggressions. In animal models of accelerated aging or Alzheimer’s disease, ETAS® administration resulted in a significant neuroprotective effect, reduction of amyloid precursor protein accumulation, and reduction of cognitive impairment. In human clinical studies on stressed individuals, ETAS improves the feeling of fatigue and increases performance in cognitive function tests.

Selected references

• Ito et al. 2014. Effects of Enzyme-Treated Asparagus Extract on Heat-Shock Protein 70, stress indices, and sleep in healthy adult men. J Nut Sci Vitaminol. vol. 60(4).
• Ito et al. 2014. Enzyme-Treated Asparagus Extract promotes expression of Heat-Shock Protein and exerts antistress effects. J Food Sci. vol. 79(3).
• Sakurai et al. 2014. Enzyme-treated Asparagus officinalis extract shows neuroprotective effects and attenuates cognitive impairment in senescence-accelerated mice. Nat Prod Commun. vol. 9(1).
• Ogasawara et al. 2014. ETAS®, an enzyme-treated asparagus extract, attenuates amyloid b-induced cellular disorder in PC12 cells. Nat Prod Commun. vol. 9(4).
• Takanari et al. 2016. Effect of Enzyme-Treated Asparagus Extract (ETAS®) on psychological stress in healthy individuals. J Nut Sci Vitaminol. vol. 62(3).
• Shirato et al. 2016. Enzyme-treated Asparagus extract attenuates hydrogen peroxide-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in murine skin fibroblast L929 cells. Nat Prod Commun. vol. 11(5).
• Shirato et al. 2018. A standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem prevents reduction in Heat Shock Protein 70 expression in ultraviolet-B-irradiated normal human dermal fibroblasts : an in vitro study. Env Health Prev Med. vol. 23(1).
• Chan et al. 2019. A standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem (ETAS®) ameliorates cognitive impairment, inhibits Amyloid β deposition via BACE-1 and normalizes circadian rhythm signaling via MT1 and MT2. Nutrients vol. 11(7).
• Peng et al. 2021. Neuroprotective effects of Asparagus officinalis stem extract in transgenic mice overexpressing Amyloid Precursor Protein. J Immunol Res. PMID 34046506