Cocoa helpful in reversing age related memory loss
Cocoa
has been found to reverse age related memory loss and give people in
their sixties the memory of a "typical 30 year-old''.
In what is a previously unknown benefit of the chocolate ingredient, scientists have found that flavanols — the antioxidants inside cocoa beans reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults.
As people age, they typically show some decline in cognitive abilities, including learning and remembering such things as the names of new acquaintances or where one parked the car or placed one's keys.
This normal age-related memory decline starts in early adulthood but usually does not have any noticeable impact on quality of life until people reach their fifties or sixties.
Age-related memory decline is different from the often-devastating memory impairment that occurs with Alzheimer's, in which a disease process damages and destroys neurons in various parts of the brain, including the memory circuits.
Dietary cocoa flavanols are naturally occurring bio-actives found in cocoa according to the study led by Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC) scientists.
The study provides the first direct evidence that one component of age-related memory decline in humans is caused by changes in a specific region of the brain and that this form of memory decline can be improved by a dietary intervention.
Previous work, including by the laboratory of senior author Scott A Small, had shown that changes in a specific part of the brain — the dentate gyrus — are associated with age-related memory decline. Until now, however, the evidence in humans showed only a correlational link, not a causal one. To see if the dentate gyrus is the source of age-related memory decline in humans, Dr Small tested whether compounds called cocoa flavanols can improve the function of this brain region and improve memory.
Flavanols extracted from cocoa beans had previously been found to improve neuronal connections in the dentate gyrus of mice.
A cocoa flavanol-containing test drink prepared specifically for research purposes was produced by the food company Mars, Incorporated, which also partly supported the research, using a proprietary process to extract flavanols from cocoa beans.
Most methods of processing cocoa remove many of the flavanols found in the raw plant.
In the CUMC study, 37 healthy volunteers, ages 50 to 69, were randomized to receive either a high-flavanol diet (900 mg of flavanols a day) or a low-flavanol diet (10 mg of flavanols a day) for three months. Brain imaging and memory tests were administered to each participant before and after the study. The brain imaging measured blood volume in the dentate gyrus, a measure of metabolism, and the memory test involved a 20-minute pattern-recognition exercise designed to evaluate a type of memory controlled by the dentate gyrus.
"When we imaged our research subjects' brains, we found noticeable improvements in the function of the dentate gyrus in those who consumed the high-cocoa-flavanol drink," said lead author Adam M Brickman, associate professor of neuropsychology at the Taub Institute.
Flavanols are also found naturally in tea leaves and in certain fruits and vegetables, but the overall amounts, as well as the specific forms and mixtures, vary widely.
The researchers point out that the product used in the study is not the same as chocolate, and they caution against an increase in chocolate consumption in an attempt to gain this effect.
Two innovations by the investigators made the study possible.
Besides flavanols, exercise has been shown in previous studies, including those of Dr Small, to improve memory and dentate gyrus function in younger people. In the current study, the researchers were unable to assess whether exercise had an effect on memory or on dentate gyrus activity. "Since we didn't reach the intended VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake) target," said Dr Small, "we couldn't evaluate whether exercise was beneficial in this context".
In what is a previously unknown benefit of the chocolate ingredient, scientists have found that flavanols — the antioxidants inside cocoa beans reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults.
As people age, they typically show some decline in cognitive abilities, including learning and remembering such things as the names of new acquaintances or where one parked the car or placed one's keys.
This normal age-related memory decline starts in early adulthood but usually does not have any noticeable impact on quality of life until people reach their fifties or sixties.
Age-related memory decline is different from the often-devastating memory impairment that occurs with Alzheimer's, in which a disease process damages and destroys neurons in various parts of the brain, including the memory circuits.
Dietary cocoa flavanols are naturally occurring bio-actives found in cocoa according to the study led by Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC) scientists.
The study provides the first direct evidence that one component of age-related memory decline in humans is caused by changes in a specific region of the brain and that this form of memory decline can be improved by a dietary intervention.
Previous work, including by the laboratory of senior author Scott A Small, had shown that changes in a specific part of the brain — the dentate gyrus — are associated with age-related memory decline. Until now, however, the evidence in humans showed only a correlational link, not a causal one. To see if the dentate gyrus is the source of age-related memory decline in humans, Dr Small tested whether compounds called cocoa flavanols can improve the function of this brain region and improve memory.
Flavanols extracted from cocoa beans had previously been found to improve neuronal connections in the dentate gyrus of mice.
A cocoa flavanol-containing test drink prepared specifically for research purposes was produced by the food company Mars, Incorporated, which also partly supported the research, using a proprietary process to extract flavanols from cocoa beans.
Most methods of processing cocoa remove many of the flavanols found in the raw plant.
In the CUMC study, 37 healthy volunteers, ages 50 to 69, were randomized to receive either a high-flavanol diet (900 mg of flavanols a day) or a low-flavanol diet (10 mg of flavanols a day) for three months. Brain imaging and memory tests were administered to each participant before and after the study. The brain imaging measured blood volume in the dentate gyrus, a measure of metabolism, and the memory test involved a 20-minute pattern-recognition exercise designed to evaluate a type of memory controlled by the dentate gyrus.
"When we imaged our research subjects' brains, we found noticeable improvements in the function of the dentate gyrus in those who consumed the high-cocoa-flavanol drink," said lead author Adam M Brickman, associate professor of neuropsychology at the Taub Institute.
Flavanols are also found naturally in tea leaves and in certain fruits and vegetables, but the overall amounts, as well as the specific forms and mixtures, vary widely.
The researchers point out that the product used in the study is not the same as chocolate, and they caution against an increase in chocolate consumption in an attempt to gain this effect.
Two innovations by the investigators made the study possible.
Besides flavanols, exercise has been shown in previous studies, including those of Dr Small, to improve memory and dentate gyrus function in younger people. In the current study, the researchers were unable to assess whether exercise had an effect on memory or on dentate gyrus activity. "Since we didn't reach the intended VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake) target," said Dr Small, "we couldn't evaluate whether exercise was beneficial in this context".
Labels: age related memory loss, antioxidant, cocoa, cognitive function, flavanols, neuronal activity, reversal
posted by G S Iyer at 8:10 AM
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