Wasabi linked to ‘really substantial’ memory boost in 'surprising' new study

New research suggests eating wasabi could boost both short-term and long-term memory, in addition to its other established health benefits.

A team of researchers at Japan’s Tohoku University were well aware that the fiery topping was linked to various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer properties.

But the authors of the study, published in the journal Nutrients, said they were “surprised” at the “dramatic change” they saw in the cognition of participants.

Speaking to CBS news, study author Rui Nouchi, an associate professor at the university’s Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, said the improvement was “really substantial”.

The study examined 72 healthy adults over the age of 60, half of whom took a supplement containing 6-MSITC, a bioactive compound found in wasabi at bedtime, with the rest receiving a placebo.

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6-MSITC is known to have brain-boosting, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

“These functions are important for increasing cognitive functions in older adults,” the authors wrote.

The research compared the participant’s cognitive performance in areas such as “executive function, episodic memory, processing speed, working memory and attention”, before and after the 12 week experiment.

The group that ate 6-MSITC “showed a significant improvement in working and episodic memory performances”, with the latter rising a massive 18 percent on average, Nouchi told the outlet.

But though no improvement was seen in other areas of cognition, the group scored around 14 percent higher in brain function than those in the placebo group.

The supplement they received contained 100 mg of wasabi extract, which sourced from the roots of the Wasabia japonica plant indigenous to Japan.

The authors of the study believe that 6-MSITC reduces inflammation and oxidant levels in the hippocampus (the area of the brain responsible for memory function), while boosting neural plasticity.

A wasabi company, Kinjirushi Co., provided funding for theTohoku University study, but the researchers say the firm played no role in the study itself.