14 DAY TRIAL // The beneficial effects berries have on human health are already well-known and very popular, but a recent study carried out by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies adds to these new information: strawberry compound is highly potent in improving long-term memory and protecting against cognitive function decline. The particular chemical found in strawberries and in many other fruits is called fisetin and comes from the flavonoids family.
According to previous studies, flavonoids are a class of naturally occurring plant compounds that function as antioxidants. They are plant pigments and even if they are not labeled as essential nutrients, they enhance the processing of vitamin C, which is itself a powerful antioxidant. Flavonoids are also needed to maintain capillary walls and protect against infections. Deficiency of flavonoids may lead to easily bruising. Besides strawberries, fisetin flavonoid is also present in a wide range of fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, apples, onions, tomatoes, peaches, grapes, persimmons etc.
Pamela Maher, Ph.D., lead author of the study and researcher in the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute pointed out the fact that there is a great need for safe medications to boost memory and mental abilities: "Since the development of a basic understanding of the biochemical pathways involved in memory formation, the holy grail of CNS research in the pharmaceutical industry is the identification of a safe, orally active drug that activates memory-associated pathways and enhances memory."
The study by Salk Institute researchers was conducted on healthy mice and proved to be really working, as fisetin supplements helped the animals to remember more clearly objects previously shown to them. This happened mostly due to the active fisetin chemical which has high antioxidant properties and offered neuroprotection to cells in mice's brain. The findings of the study have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Journal.
Dr. Maher concluded that it is a very good thing that a possible natural cure for cognitive function decline has been identified, but it would be rather difficult to find financial support exactly because it deals with natural resources: "The good news is that fisetin is readily available in strawberries but the bad news is that because of its natural product status there may be little financial interest in getting in into human clinical trials for diseases associated with memory loss such as Alzheimer's, where the treatment options are currently limited."