Epicatechin May Help Protect Against Cognitive Decline

If you start eating foods rich in a compound called epicatechin now, you might be able to keep your memory sharp even into the old age. Epicatechin is a natural compound found in blueberries, tea, grapes, and cocoa. In mice trials, it has been shown that the combination of exercise and a diet with epicatechin promoted structural and functional changes in the dentate gyrus, a part of the brain involved in the formation of learning and memory.

When studying their brains, van Praag and her colleagues found that these mice had greater blood vessel growth in the dentate gyrus and had developed more mature nerve cells, suggesting an enhanced ability of the cells to communicate. Further analysis showed that the epicatechin and exercise combination had a beneficial effect on the expression of genes important for learning and memory, and decreased the activity of genes playing a role in inflammation and neurodegeneration.

Aside from these effects, epicatechin has also been shown previously to improve cardiovascular function and increase blood flow in the brain.