For Easter season, researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute have some advice: drink red wine (with moderation), black or green tea and eat chocolate. Their findings summarized in the June 2007 Neurochemical Research, describe how the various chemicals in these beverages and treats may reduce the risk of neurological disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.

“We have demonstrated that specific compounds such as resveratrol present in red wine, polyphenols in chocolate and tea have defined neuroprotective effects,” says co-lead author Stéphane Bastianetto, PhD, research associate at the Douglas. “Not only do these compounds have anti-oxidant effects, they also interact with other cellular molecules.”

Bastianetto, along with colleagues including doctoral student Jonathan Brouillette and Rémi Quirion, PhD, scientific director of the Douglas and of the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR), used cultured nerve cells for these studies. They showed that cells treated with resveratrol or other polyphenols as well as other molecules resulted in degradation of amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. In addition, their studies have determined that binding molecules for polyphenols are broadly distributed in the rat brain, further proof of their biological role.

“Our findings and those of others strongly support the beneficial role of polyphenols in foods in reducing the risk for developing neurological orders,” adds Brouillette. “We now understand how this occurs at the cellular level and how to maximize this effect.”

Funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research supports this research.

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