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Rodent of the Week: Eat berries and grapes

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Get used to hearing about this compound: pterostilbene. It may become the hot, new anti-aging supplement.

A study published today in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found that old lab rats who were fed the compound had an improvement in memory and a reverse in cognitive decline compared with old rats fed a normal diet. Pterostilbene is found in berries and grapes. Previous studies have also suggested that a high intake of berries and grapes carries potential health benefits.

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The researchers, from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, tested seven different types of stilbene compounds and identified pterostilbene as the most effective at preventing oxidative stress, which can lead to a decline in brain function. Researchers from the ARS Natural Products Utilization Research Laboratory in Oxford, Miss., contributed to the study.

Previous studies have also suggested that the compounds in various berries, such as blueberries and strawberries, may act on the brain in different ways. In the current study, the researchers found the improvements in memory were linked to pterostilbene levels in the hippocampus region of the brain.

-- Shari Roan

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