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Lee Swanson Research Update
Acai Extract Shows Brain Health Potential
December 2010
An extract from acai may enhance the "neuronal housekeeping function" and potentially protect the brain as we age. That’s what researchers in Boston said following the completion of a recent study.
The brain’s natural housekeeping mechanism is called autophagy and involves the controlled degradation of cells, including the recycling of toxic proteins. This system declines naturally as we age, but new research suggests that berry extracts may enhance the process and contribute to brain health.
Researchers at the USDA’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston presented their findings recently at the Society of Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego, CA.
Led by the late James Joseph from Tufts University, the researchers investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of acai extracts in the main defense cells of the brain—the microglia—in rodents. "Microglial activation can result in the generation of cytotoxic intermediates and is associated with a variety of age-related and neurodegenerative conditions," explained the researchers.
Results presented in San Diego indicated that extracted fractions of the acai pulp protected against the release of pro-inflammatory compounds including COX-2 and TNF-alpha.
"These results suggest that acai may contribute to ‘health span’ in aging, as it is able to combat some of the inflammatory and oxidative mediators of aging at the cellular level," wrote the researchers.
The researchers also noted that extracts made with methanol and ethanol appeared to be the "most effective" and that this may be due to the extracts containing either the greatest amounts of acai phytochemicals, or the most potent.
The researchers noted that additional studies are planned and will "investigate the specific phytochemicals in each of the fractions to determine the most potent and effective components in combating cellular inflammation."
"Future studies will also feed aged rats acai-supplemented diets in order to determine if acai is able to reverse or allay age-related motor or cognitive deficits," they added.
Presented at the Society of Neuroscience Annual Meeting
