28 votes

Wasabi linked to ‘substantial’ memory boost

Posted by drannex
Tags: biology, medicine, memory, research, japan, brains, tohoku university, food, wasabi, studies, author.lucy craft, source.cbsnews
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wasabi-memory-boost-japanese-study-finds/

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Title
Wasabi, beloved on sushi, linked to "really substantial" boost in memory, Japanese study finds
Published
Dec 4 2023
Word count
636 words

12 comments

  1. Krabtree
    Link
    If it intrigues anyone according to usnews.com a wasabi maker funded the study.
    • Exemplary

    If it intrigues anyone according to usnews.com a wasabi maker funded the study.

    Wasabi maker Kinjirushi Co. funded the study, although the researchers said the company had no role in the study itself.

    29 votes
  2. [8]
    drannex
    Link
    And an interesting, slightly unrelated, note in the article:

    After three months, the treated group registered “significant” boosts in two aspects of cognition, working (short-term) memory, and the longer-lasting episodic memory, based on standardized assessments for language skills, concentration and ability to carry out simple tasks. No improvement was seen in other areas of cognition, such as inhibitory control (the ability to stay focused), executive function or processing speed.

    Subjects who received the wasabi treatment saw their episodic memory scores jump an average of 18%, Nouchi said, and scored on average 14% higher than the placebo group overall.

    The researchers theorized that 6-MSITC reduces inflammation and oxidant levels in the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory function, and boosts neural plasticity.

    And an interesting, slightly unrelated, note in the article:

    But here’s the rub: That tangy paste served up at nearly all sushi bars — even the ones in Japan — is almost certainly an impostor. Far more common than the real thing is a convincing fraud, usually made of ordinary white horseradish, dyed green.

    19 votes
    1. [6]
      EgoEimi
      Link Parent
      An aside: the wasabi situation is getting markedly better in the US, at least on the west coast, where there's successful wasabi cultivation and growing awareness and demand for real wasabi. I...

      An aside: the wasabi situation is getting markedly better in the US, at least on the west coast, where there's successful wasabi cultivation and growing awareness and demand for real wasabi. I find that when I go to a sushi bar that cares enough (in California), the wasabi is real.

      Anyway, fascinating finding. I'd like to see replication studies.

      14 votes
      1. [3]
        skybrian
        Link Parent
        I'm wondering if I've had real wasabi. How could I tell? I wonder if I would I like it? Maybe I actually like horseradish, served in a certain way.

        I'm wondering if I've had real wasabi. How could I tell? I wonder if I would I like it? Maybe I actually like horseradish, served in a certain way.

        7 votes
        1. Akir
          Link Parent
          It's not easy. The most obvious giveaway is when you are served way too much of it or if it's already on the table. Wasabi is expensive outside of the places it's native to, but horseradish is...

          It's not easy. The most obvious giveaway is when you are served way too much of it or if it's already on the table. Wasabi is expensive outside of the places it's native to, but horseradish is dirt cheap, so they have no problem giving you too much. Horseradish "wasabi" is also typically dyed too green, but it's hard to tell the difference unless you have them side-by-side anyways.

          If you haven't had wasabi ground up in front of you, then you probably haven't had wasabi. Wasabi is a rhizome, kind of like ginger is. Just like ginger, it's one of those things that makes sense to keep in the whole form until it's needed rather than grating and packaging in plastic.

          14 votes
        2. EgoEimi
          Link Parent
          There's an easily detectable taste difference. If it's sharp and immediately explodes your sinus, it's horseradish. If it's mellow and takes its time filling your sinus, it's wasabi. I like both....

          There's an easily detectable taste difference. If it's sharp and immediately explodes your sinus, it's horseradish. If it's mellow and takes its time filling your sinus, it's wasabi.

          I like both. Wasabi is better for the simpler traditional Japanese sushi, where horseradish can overwhelm the delicate light flavors. But horseradish is better suited for the complex modern sushi innovations which tend to have sauces and heavier flavors that mellow wasabi would have struggle to compete against.

          10 votes
      2. [2]
        tanglisha
        Link Parent
        There's a place in Oregon that grows it. A couple of the Seattle sushi bars use that.

        There's a place in Oregon that grows it. A couple of the Seattle sushi bars use that.

        7 votes
        1. rubix
          Link Parent
          Looks like you can order authentic wasabi directly from the farm in Oregon https://www.thewasabistore.com/

          Looks like you can order authentic wasabi directly from the farm in Oregon https://www.thewasabistore.com/

          5 votes
    2. ubel
      Link Parent
      Luckily it doesn't have to be real fresh wasabi because in the study it wasn't ..

      Luckily it doesn't have to be real fresh wasabi because in the study it wasn't ..

      The double-blind, randomized study involved 72 healthy subjects, aged 60 to 80. Half of them took 100 milligrams of wasabi extract at bedtime, with the rest receiving a placebo.

      6 votes
  3. [3]
    NeonBright
    Link
    I do wish they were a bit more precise with their measurements. I have wasabi growing in a pot in the backyard (It's not as tricky as all that to grow), and would like to try this for myself, but...

    I do wish they were a bit more precise with their measurements. I have wasabi growing in a pot in the backyard (It's not as tricky as all that to grow), and would like to try this for myself, but 'just a dab' is difficult to quantify!

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      drannex
      Link Parent
      They defined it as "100 milligrams of wasabi extract at bedtime".

      They defined it as "100 milligrams of wasabi extract at bedtime".

      3 votes
      1. NeonBright
        Link Parent
        Later in the text they refer to a 'dab' of straight wasabi (ie not an extract) - that's the part that I was curious about. I can produce a dab of fresh wasabi much more easily than I can produce...

        Later in the text they refer to a 'dab' of straight wasabi (ie not an extract) - that's the part that I was curious about.
        I can produce a dab of fresh wasabi much more easily than I can produce an unspecified extract, but as a quantity it's fairly open to interpretation!