Grape juice may help memory, Welch's study says

New research funded by Welch Food Inc. suggests that drinking Concord grape juice may "support healthy brain function" in people 65 and over. "Data from the double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot investigation led by Dr. Robert Krikorian, (department of psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine) suggested that drinking Concord grape juice was beneficial with respect to memory function," Welch said in a press release about the study of 12 older adults with early memory decline. The resarch was published in the March issue of the the British Journal of Nutrition. Headquartered in Concord, Welch's is the processing and marketing subsidiary of the National Grape Cooperative and markets products such as 100-percent Concord grape juice under the Welch's brand name. The cooperative is owned by more than 1,200 family farmers. Welch's has long helped finance studies that examine the impact of Concord grape consumption on cardiovascular health, but this is the first Welch's study that has looked at brain function and memory decline, said Casey Lewis, Welch's health and nutrition manager. "What is good for the heart may also be good for the mind," Lewis said. The working hypothesis that can be drawn from Krikorian's study is that the plant nutrients unique to the Concord grape are what are providing the health benefits, Lewis said. In a statement, Krikorian said: "Our preliminary findings suggest that supplementing the diet with Concord grape juice may provide benefit for older adults with early memory changes. While further study is warranted to assess the potential of Concord grape juice to forestall progression of age-related memory decline, these results are very encouraging."

The photo with this post was provided by Welch's.