Benefits of Wasabi Supplementation in Older Adults

by | Nov 21, 2023 | 2023, Aging, Brain Health, Cognitive Health

Written by Harold Oster, MD. Results suggest that supplementation with wasabi may improve working and episodic memory.

elderly man gripping ballCognitive decline occurs with aging, and the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia has increased with the increasing life expectancy of the population1. Wasabi, due to its compound, 6-methylsulfinyl hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MSITC), has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties2 and may have neuroprotective effects in humans3. In the U.S. most wasabi is horseradish and not Japanese horseradish.

Rui Nouchi et al. studied the effects of wasabi supplementation on the cognitive performance of older adults. Seventy-two participants aged sixty and older from Sendai, Japan were randomized to receive tablets containing 100 mg of wasabi (0.8 mg of 6-MSITC) or identical placebo daily for twelve weeks. The participants were screened to rule out preexisting cognitive dysfunction with the Mini-Mental State Examination4, the Frontal Assessment Battery to assess frontal lobe function5, and the Japanese Adult Reading Test to assess IQ6. At baseline and the end of the study, multiple components of cognitive function were tested. Episodic memory, the ability to store and retrieve memories of experiences7, was evaluated with the Logical Memory test8 and the face recognition subset of the Rivermead Behavioral Memory test9. Short-term memory and working memory, which is the ability to hold conscious thoughts10, were evaluated with the Digital Span tests, requiring the participant to remember a string of numerical digits backwards and forwards11. Processing speed, attention, executive functions, and visual-spatial abilities were evaluated by appropriate tests.

The authors noted the following:

  • Of the 72 participants, 53 were female, and 19 were male.
  • There were no significant differences in the groups at baseline.
  • The group that received wasabi improved in episodic memory compared to the placebo group, as tested by the logical memory test.
  • The wasabi group improved in working memory compared to the placebo group, as tested by the digital span backwards test.
  • Neither the wasabi group nor the placebo group improved in the other cognitive functions tested.

Results suggest that wasabi supplementation is associated with improved working and episodic memory in older adults. Limitations of the study include a significant female preponderance of participants and the lack of testing of the biological factors that may explain the results.

Source: Nouchi, Rui, Natasha YS Kawata, Toshiki Saito, Haruka Nouchi, and Ryuta Kawashima. “Benefits of Wasabi Supplements with 6-MSITC (6-Methylsulfinyl Hexyl Isothiocyanate) on Memory Functioning in Healthy Adults Aged 60 Years and Older: Evidence from a Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrients 15, no. 21 (2023): 4608.

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted November 21, 2023.

Harold Oster, MD graduated from medical school in Miami, Florida in 1992 and moved to Minnesota in 2004. After more than 25 years of practicing Internal Medicine, he recently retired. Dr. Oster is especially interested in nutrition, weight management, and disease prevention. Visit his website at haroldoster.com.

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