Eating Wasabi Could Boost Your Memory, Study Says

Participants in the study who received the wasabi treatment saw their episodic memory scores increase

Eating wasabi could boost one's short-term and long-term memory, a new study says.

The study conducted by researchers at Tokyo's Tohoku University consisted of 72 participants ages 60 to 80. During the 12-week study, half of the participants took 100 milligrams of wasabi extract each night before bed. The other half received a placebo.

"We knew from earlier animal studies that wasabi conferred health benefits," Rui Nouchi, the study's lead researcher, told CBS News. "But what really surprised us was the dramatic change. The improvement was really substantial."

After only three months he said those who took the wasabi extract began to see positive effects. Nouchi told the outlet that those who received the wasabi treatment saw their episodic memory scores jump an average of 18%. He said they also scored 14% higher than the placebo group.

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According to CBS News, the results were based on standardized assessments that tested language skills and concentration. The tests did not assess other cognitive skills including the ability to stay focused or processing speed.

Per the study, "the main bioactive compound of wasabi is 6-MSITC (6 methylsulfinyl hexyl isothiocyanate), which has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory functions." Nouchi told CBS News that the biochemical is a known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that exists in "only trace amounts throughout the plant kingdom."

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Wasabi is native to Japan and is part of the family of flowering plants known as mustards or cabbage family. The temperamental plant takes about two years to reach its peak growth and the "root is hard to grow and handle," per The Washington Post.

And, according to the American Chemical Society, real wasabi can be hard to come across. The Post also reported that experts believe that 99% of wasabi found in the United States is fake.

"It has a more delicate, complex, and sweeter flavor than the fake stuff you’re used to," said Trevor Corson, the author of The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice.

However, on the bright side, Nouchi said just a small dab of wasabi offers the same benefits as the capsule supplement used in the Tohoku study, or 0.8 milligrams of 6-MSITC.

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