Grape Seed Extract Protects Memory

Results of a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience (June 2008; 28:6388–6392) link grape seed extract to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments.

The study tested the hypothesis that certain molecules contained in red wine might offset disease progression in mice genetically modified to develop Alzheimer’s. Results showed the grape seed extract reduced Alzheimer’s–type cognitive deterioration in the mice by preventing the formation of amyloid in the brain. Complex amyloid build-up can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, as well as memory impairment associated with dementia.

“The implications are not limited to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Giulio Maria Pasinetti of the Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. “In fact, amyloid is present in everyone’s brain, and whenever it comes together in a more complex structure, it makes the brain function less efficiently. The ability of the compounds found in (grape seed extract) to inhibit the formation of the more complex amyloid structures suggests that ... (it) might even help prevent memory loss in people who have not yet developed Alzheimer’s disease.”

The researchers also note they are now one step closer to understanding the exact molecule in grape seed extract that is responsible for protecting memory and, by extension, closer to testing whether it can be used in patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease.