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One week of supplementation with an extract from Aronia melanocarpaโ also led to significant improvements in levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), an important neurotrophic factor participating in memory and learning
โOne week of AME [Aronia melanocarpaโ extract] supplementation improved cognitive performance, which was reflected by a shorter movement time on the five-choice reaction time test,โ wrote researchers from Maastricht University.
โSerum BDNF concentrations were also improved, but changes did not correlate with the improvements observed in the domain of attention and psychomotor speed.โ
Aroniaโ
Aronia is a member of theย Rosaceaeย family native to eastern North America. It has also been naturalized in Europe.
The most studied form of chokeberry isย Aronia melanocarpaโย (black chokeberries), but other forms of the berry exist, includingย Aronia arbutifoliaโย (red chokeberries) andย Aronia prunifoliaโย (purple chokeberries).
Although originating in North America, commercial growing of aronia berries started in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The berry was reportedly used for enhancing the diets of Russian cosmonauts.
The majority of the science supporting the potential health benefits of chokeberry relate to heart health (enhancing blood flowโ,ย normalizing blood clotsโ, benefitingย blood pressureโ), but other reported benefits include anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant activity, and immunomodulatory effects. A study from theย International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolismโย also indicatedย potential for sports nutritionโย (2005, Vol. 15, pp. 48-58).
Study Detailsโ
The Maastricht-based scientists recruited 35 healthy young adults (average age 25) to participate in their randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the Aronia extract or placebo for seven days. This was followed by a two-week washout period before crossing over to the other group. The Aronia extract provided a daily anthocyanin dose of 180 milligrams.
Cognitive performance, assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), indicated that the Aronia extract was associated with improvements in measures of attention and psychomotor speed. Specifically, a 4.8% reduction in movement time, defined as โthe time from release of the response button to selection of the targetโ, was observed following Aronia supplementation. This was statistically significant compared to placebo, said the researchers.
Additionally, a 5.7% increase in serum BDNF concentrations were recorded following Aronia supplementation, compared to placebo.
On the other hand, no differences between the interventions were recorded for measures of memory and executive function, or for arterial stiffness.
โCognitive abilities, such as memory, are thought to peak in young adulthood while measures for attention peak later in life,โ wrote the researchers. โThis suggests that there is still room for improvements in attention and psychomotor speed in younger adults, while older adults may benefit more from improvements in memory.
โAlternatively, 1 week of supplementation may not have been long enough to induce changes in memory or executive function, which would suggest that the observed improvement in the domain of attention and psychomotor speed is regulated through different mechanisms as compared to potential changes observed in memory or executive function domains.
โCurrent evidence proposes that flavonoids can indeed influence various processes that could translate into an improved cognitive performance.โ
Source: European Journal of Nutritionโ
63โ, 1545โ1553, doi: 10.1007/s00394-024-03381-3โ
โShort-term Aronia melanocarpaโ extract supplementation improves cognitive performance: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study in healthy young adultsโ
Authors: S. Ahles, et al.
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