Wasabi: Find out what the Japanese seasoning can do for you

Wasabi: Find out what the Japanese seasoning can do for you


If you like Japanese food, you’ll be interested to know what the researchers found




Do you like Japanese food? Then you should also taste wasabi, that horseradish paste that accompanies many dishes of this cuisine. According to research published in the magazine NutrientsThis spicy condiment may help improve short- and long-term memory in older adults.

Researchers from several Japanese institutes asked a group of 72 volunteers from the country, aged between 60 and 80, to take a wasabi or placebo tablet every evening, before going to sleep, for twelve consecutive weeks.

The research excluded people with known illnesses, mental disorders, memory problems, heavy alcohol consumers and certain medications that could interfere with the results. All participants underwent cognitive (reasoning and learning) and memory tests before and after taking the pills.

Compared to the group who took a placebo, the volunteers who took wasabi tablets showed improvements in long-term and short-term memory, while showing no changes in cognition. These participants also performed better on association tests, such as linking names to faces, an ability that research shows tends to decline with age.

Wasabi is a plant that grows in Japan and the Far East of Russia, and is often used as a food ingredient and seasoning. Traditionally, it is considered a healthy type of spice as it helps reduce inflammation.

Some studies have already indicated that wasabi’s anti-inflammatory benefits come from hexyl methylsulfonyl isothiocyanate (6-MSITC), which is also an antioxidant. For this reason the plant has been sold in the form of supplements in health food stores.

Source: Terra

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