Pilot Study Showed Improved Memory Skills in Older Adults with Early Memory Decline CONCORD, Mass., June 2
CONCORD, Mass., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- As America's baby boomers continue
to age, the number of people 65 years of age and older is expected to double
to 70 million by 2030(1). As such, age-related cognitive decline and incidence
of chronic conditions, including Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes and
cancer, is on the rise. Research supports that good nutrition -- particularly
a diet including phytonutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and their juices --
plays an important role in the aging process and may help slow and possibly
even reverse age-related physical and mental declines.
Results from a recent pilot human study suggest that including Concord
grape juice in the diet may provide benefit for older adults with early memory
decline. This study represents the first placebo-controlled human study to
investigate whether regular consumption of a polyphenol-rich food or beverage
could have beneficial effects against age-related cognitive decline.
The results were presented at the 38th annual scientific meeting of the
American Aging Society in Boulder, Colo., May 30-June 2, 2008. The study, led
by Robert Krikorian, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati
College of Medicine, included 12 adults with early memory decline.
Participants drank a total of 15 to 21 ounces, depending on body weight, of
either Concord grape juice or placebo daily, divided among meals, for a 12-
week period. The beverages were equal in calorie and sugar content but only
the Concord grape juice contained natural polyphenolic compounds, which have
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Participants who drank the
Concord grape juice showed significant improvement in list learning and trends
suggested improved short-term retention and spatial memory.
According to Dr. Krikorian, "These results with Concord grape juice are
very encouraging and certainly warrant additional study. A simple, easy-to-
incorporate dietary intervention that could improve or protect memory
function, such as drinking Concord grape juice daily, may be beneficial for
the aging population."
Study collaborators included Tiffany Nash and Marcelle Shidler from the
University of Cincinnati as well as James Joseph and Barbara Shukitt-Hale from
the USDA-ARS Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
Joseph and Shukitt-Hale's ground-breaking animal research has previously shown
that supplementation of certain polyphenol-rich fruits and vegetables resulted
in improved cognitive function in animal models. In fact, this human study was
a natural next step based on their 2006 publication in Nutrition where they
reported that polyphenol-rich Concord grape juice supplementation in the diet
of aged rats resulted in beneficial effects on memory and cognitive
function(2).
Welch Foods, Inc. is committed to supporting independent research
exploring the role of Concord grape juice in a healthy lifestyle and provided
support for the University of Cincinnati study.
(1) Keeping up with older adults. In: Population profile of the United
States: 2000 (Internet release). Washington (DC): U.S. Census Bureau; 2000.
Available from: http://www.census.gov/population/pop-profile/2000/chap18.pdf
(accessed December 2, 2007).
(2) Shukitt-Hale B, Carey A, Simon L, Mark DA and Joseph JA. Effects of
Concord grape juice on cognitive and motor deficits in aging. Nutrition. 2006.
22(3):295-302.
SOURCE Welch's
