Blackcurrants for Brain Health

Blackcurrants are bursting with goodness. Research indicates that New Zealand Blackadder blackcurrants may improve brain health by enhancing mood, reducing mental fatigue, and improving focus.

While the science is not yet in a position to make definitive health claims about blackcurrants beyond immune support, enough is understood about the general nutritional properties so far to know that blackcurrants deliver a daily serve of goodness.

Effect of NZ-grown Blackadder Blackcurrant Juice on Brain Function

A study published in 2015, conducted by the NZ Institute for Plant & Food Research in collaboration with Northumbria University (UK), showed that a non-pasteurised juice prepared from NZ-grown Blackadder Blackcurrants positively affects brain function (Watson et al., 2015).

The research focused on the effects of blackcurrant consumption on the cognitive performance of healthy young adults, aged 18 to 35, to determine if compounds found in blackcurrants may act like monoamine oxidase inhibitors, as previous research suggested (Watson et al., 2015).

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is an enzyme that plays a key role in the brain and body by breaking down monoamines, also known as neurotransmitters, such as Dopamine and Serotonin (Mayo Clinic, 2022).

Too much MAO activity can lower levels of these neurotransmitters, contributing to depression, anxiety, or neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease (Lv et al., 2023). Toxic by-products, aldehydes and hydrogen peroxide are also produced during the process, which can cause oxidative stress and neuronal cell death (Lv et al., 2023).

Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine exert great influence over our impulse control, mood, appetite, cravings, anxiety, motivation, focus, pleasure and ability to emotionally manage stress. Depression and other mood disorders have been linked to low serotonin (Cleveland Clinic, 2023).

Dopamine is also involved in quick, well-coordinated movement. Conditions such as Parkinson’s has been attributed to low dopamine levels (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). As we age, we produce less neurotransmitters and produce more MAOs (Lee & Kim, 2022).

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are a type of pharmaceutical antidepressant used in the treatment of both mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s (Mayo Clinic, 2022).

The study, conducted by Anthony W Watson from the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre, Northumbria University, investigated the effects of two blackcurrant drinks, both with the same amount of polyphenols, affected the participants’ cognitive function, mood and defined biochemical parameters (Watson et al., 2015).

The findings of this 2015 study suggested that when a daily dose of 140 ml of New Zealand-grown Blackadder blackcurrant juice was taken, the mental performance indicator of reaction time improved, and Monoamine oxidase was reduced (Watson et al., 2015).

The potential benefits of this research are significant. This study is the first evidence of a clinically significant reduction in MAO activity following ingestion of a commonly consumed fruit. If Monoamine oxidase can be inhibited then it may ensure higher levels of neurotransmitters, which could benefit those that do not have enough.

Summary

Research so far indicates that New Zealand Blackadder blackcurrants may improve brain health by enhancing mood, reducing mental fatigue and improving focus.

Ongoing research programmes in New Zealand and around the world continue to explore how and why blackcurrants may be beneficial in so many areas of health and wellness, including our brains.

Fresh blackcurrants aren’t readily available year round so bottling Blackadder blackcurrants in our EveryDay+ Immunity Syrup offers Kiwis the opportunity to consume squeezed Blackadder blackcurrants daily.