Could a glass of New Zealand blackcurrant juice keep your brain healthy?

A new study has shown that a variety of New Zealand blackcurrant called ‘Blackadder' has qualities that can regulate the concentration of serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

It could thus be used to fight against Parkinson's, stress, anxiety and even depression.

To keep up with the trend in functional foods, the pharmaceutical industry is intensifying its search for new foods that have a positive effect on health.

A recent study organized by New Zealand science company Plant & Food Research, working in collaboration with Northumbria University in the UK, may give the industry reason a new lead.

The scientists running this study, which was published in the Journal of Functional Foods, focused on a varietal of New Zealand blackcurrant, the blackadder, and isolated compounds capable of having a positive effect on certain mental aspects, including precision, attention and mood. The blackadder blackcurrant appeared to have an effect on brain chemicals that play a role in mood and brain function, but are also involved in the onset of Parkinson's, stress, anxiety and different forms of depression.

An improvement in mental performance

To arrive at this conclusion, the scientists organized a one-off study in which 36 adults, aged 18-35, were given either 250ml of blackcurrant juice (Delcyan by Just the Berries), 250ml of blackadder extract or a placebo drink, before participating in a series of challenging metal performance tests.

The results of the study indicate that after consuming the Delcyan and blackadder extract drinks, attention and mood were improved while mental fatigue was reduced. In addition, blood tests showed that the activity of the monoamine oxidase enzymes (MAO), responsible for the regulation of serotonin and dopamine in the brain, significantly decreased after drinking the blackadder juice.

This highlights the potential for compounds found in blackadder blackcurrants as a functional food ingredient to support brain health or help manage the symptoms of disorders like Parkinson's disease.

A prior study run by the same research team had already demonstrated the positive effects of red berries on the brain, but this one goes even farther and opens up many new and interesting avenues for further study.