As the population ages, it is necessary to find tips to prevent age-related cognitive decline. A new study shows that wasabi, a Japanese spice, could improve the memory of people aged over 60.
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A new study presents a simple and rather tasty way to take care of our brain as we age! Among the foods likely to improve the brain functions of seniors we find wasabi, a traditional Japanese spice with a spicy flavor. The results of the study published in Nutrients indicate that this spice has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties thanks to its main bioactive component, 6-methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate (6-MSITC). “ Previous studies have suggested that antioxidants and anti-inflammatories play an important role in the cognitive health of older adults. », Write the authors.
Promising cognitive results
Based on this hypothesis for wasabi, the researchers conducted a controlled trial on 72 adults over the age of 60 for 12 weeks. Participants were randomly divided into two groups to take a supplement once a day: the first took a wasabi tablet, while the second took a tablet placeboplacebo. Compared to the latter group, seniors who had ingested wasabi tablets had significantly better performance in their episodic memoryepisodic memory (recall of events from the past) and their working memoryworking memory (temporary storage of information). However, no significant differences were found in other areas of cognitive performance, such as attention and speedspeed treatment.
If the study highlights a link between the consumption of wasabi and improved memory in seniors, it does not prove it (yet). The team now wants to examine in more detail what could be happening at the biological and molecular level.
