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Improved mood and sustained attention following acute consumption of Concord grape juice in young, healthy adults: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2013

C. F. Haskell  and
R. Stuart
C. F. Haskell
Affiliation:
Brain, Performance and Nutrition Centre, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
R. Stuart
Affiliation:
Brain, Performance and Nutrition Centre, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
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Abstract

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Berry-derived polyphenols found in purple grape juice have been associated with a number of health benefits in humans, including better episodic memory( Reference Kesse-Guyot, Fezeu, Andreeva, Touvier, Scalbert and Hercberg 1 ) and improved endothelial function(see Reference Vislocky and Fernandez 2 for review). Previous intervention studies of Concord grape juice have demonstrated improvement to memory in age-associated mild cognitive impairment following at least 12 weeks supplementation, as well as increased brain activation (assessed with fMRI) following 16 weeks intervention. Anthocyanin-rich berry extracts have also been observed to improve sustained attention when measured acutely in healthy young adults( Reference Watson, Haskell and Scheepens 3 ) but no studies to date have demonstrated acute cognitive effects of grape juice.

This randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, balanced-crossover study, assessed the effects of a single dose of 200 ml Concord purple grape juice or sugar and flavour-matched placebo in 20 healthy young adults. Computerised measures of cognition and mood were completed at baseline and following a 20-min absorption period, chosen due to a peak in native anthocyanins at ∼30 minutes post-ingestion.

Following a single serve of Concord purple grape juice, a significant increase in calm ratings (p<0.05) and an improvement in speed of attention (p<0.05) were observed. There were no effects on memory. This supports a previous demonstration of improved sustained attention following berry fruit, possibly implicating this as an anthocyanin effect, which account for 46% of the polyphenolic content of the grape juice administered. However, the phenolic acids, flavanols and flavonols also present are liable to play a role in any neurocognitive effect. These findings in a small sample of healthy young adults suggest that further investigation of the efficacy of purple grape juice in preventing age-associated cognitive decline is warranted to ascertain peak dose effects as well as exploring the active compound(s) responsible for such effects.

References

1. Kesse-Guyot, E, Fezeu, L, Andreeva, VA, Touvier, M, Scalbert, A, Hercberg, S et al. (2012) Total and Specific Polyphenol Intakes in Midlife Are Associated with Cognitive Function Measured 13 Years Later. Journal of Nutrition 142, 76–83.Google Scholar
2. Vislocky, LM & Fernandez, ML (2010) Biomedical effects of grape products. Nutrition Reviews 68, 656–70.Google Scholar
3. Watson, AWKD, Haskell, CF, Scheepens, A (2012) A double blind placebo controlled study measuring the effect of two berry fruit extracts on mood, cognition and monoamine oxidase B inhibition in healthy young adults. Appetite 59, 636.Google Scholar