Food that improves memory
Research analyzing several scientific studies found that cinnamon, among its other benefits, helps improve memory and strengthens the immune system.
Eating a good diet is of vital importance when it comes to avoiding, or at least delaying, future problems that may arise over the years. In addition to making us feel good about ourselves, some foods have properties that enhance our abilities. This is the case of cinnamon, which according to various studies helps improve our memory.
This aromatic species, although of Asian origin (obtained from the inner bark of the Cinnamomun trees, present in the Himalayas and other mountainous areas, as well as tropical forests in southern China or India), is very common in cuisine, especially in pastry specialties. In addition to the delicious flavor it offers to dishes, some studies have shown that it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties.
In addition, it can help strengthen our immune system and brain functions, especially when it comes to memory and learning. Recently, a team of researchers from the Birjand University of Medical Sciences (in Iran) reviewed some previous studies on the effects of cinnamon and highlighted its potential to prevent or reduce eating memory and learning disorders.
“The study aimed to systematically review studies on the relationship between cinnamon and its key components in memory and learning,” comment Samaneh Nakhaee and Alireza Kooshki, authors of the analysis published in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience.
Detailed study
For the research, 605 studies from different databases were compiled and were subjected to investigation. After that, the experts reduced the analysis to only 40, those most interesting for the subject in question. Of these, 33 were conducted in vivo (examining real living organisms), five in vitro, and two clinical studies.
Most of them suggested that cinnamon could positively influence memory and cognitive function. “In vivo studies showed that the use of cinnamon or its components, such as eugenol, cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid, could positively alter cognitive function”, they explain. In the same way that, in the case of in vitro studies, the fact of adding cinnamon or cinnamaldehyde “can reduce the aggregation of tau, amyloid β and increase cell viability”.
In conclusion, they estimate that cinnamon “could be useful to prevent and reduce the deterioration of cognitive function”. They also ensure, in the absence of new studies in this regard, that it could be used as an adjuvant for the treatment of related diseases.