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Wasabi effective in improving memory of elderly: study

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The research, conducted jointly by Japanese food manufacturer Kinjirushi Co. and Tohoku University, 

No bias there, none at all. I see a lot of medical research touting various nutrients as a staple of JTV ai ed at the middle aged and elderly, inevitably corporate sponsored.

That being said I slather on the wasabi, even on things Iike tofu ànd popcorn.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Only thing I’ve heard like this that I’ve read about that helps is turmeric.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

What most Japanese place on their sushi is actually not wasabi.

-5 ( +7 / -12 )

Next week they'll be reporting that wasabi gives people cancer, and doing one press up a day reduces your chances of developing dementia.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

No bias there, none at all.

A study being supported by an entity that would benefit from positive results do not automatically means bias is there. It only helps explaining why the bias is there IF it is identified. There are mechanisms to eliminate bias as much as possible so the studies are still useful, from isolating the research decisions from any input from the beneficiary to pre-registering the trial so it is ensured that results are published no matter what is found.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

So the spice not only wakes up the taste buds. Good to know.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Medical research generally begins with a small study and progresses to larger more controlled studies. The sponsor of the initial study may be biased. However, larger studies should be conducted to eliminate any bias. I personally would like to learn that wasabi can make me smarter.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

peopl doing this study should first look at japan. Wasabi is consumed mostly as a traditional common spice for many food. However, dementia is most wide spread and common in japan. I noticed even some middle age people have dementia even though they are not formally diagnosed yet.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

Really? I know wasabi kills germs. Wasabi often comes with raw seafoods. I wonder It cures dementia that is memory problems.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

No bias there, none at all.

Really? How do you know?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I had not heard of this root before so I looked it up, here in the UK a 50g root does cost £10.00.....1,877.95 yen.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

For improving memory I prefer words, even if you can't put them on your sushi.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

The price of wasabi is about to go through the roof. People are going to start hoarding it too. I'm going to put it on everything. Wasabi in my coffee, on my kimchi, in my pizza, with my medicine. I'll use it instead of Vanterine or Tiger Balm.. Hell, I may even put it up my nose straight and then I can probably be able to remember the day the doctor delivered me or the moment I was conceived!

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Well it got published in a journal, albeit one that has questionable practices of accepting 'mediocre' quality research. A sample size of 72 is too small. After reviewing the study and checking its methodology, the study then needs to be replicated with the same methodology (if deemed acceptable) and with a much larger sample to verify if its results are credible. Nothing really empirical can yet be determined from this study.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Where the heck am I gonna find wasabi in Japan?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

 Wasabi is consumed mostly as a traditional common spice for many food. However, dementia is most wide spread and common in japan

That is not enough to make a determination, for that you would have to compare the rates you find in Japan and compare them with the rates happening in countries where wasabi is not used in the same age groups. If you don't do that you can make the huge mistake of thinking dementia is more common here just because more people are able to reach an advanced age.

 I noticed even some middle age people have dementia even though they are not formally diagnosed yet.

If they have not been diagnosed, how do you know they have dementia? forgetting things is hardly a pathognomonic sign of the disease.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

We buy 100% organic wasabi from Aska.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

"The research, conducted jointly by Japanese food manufacturer Kinjirushi Co...."

That's all I need to read to know this is BS. It's like the natto companies touting a natto diet, cucumber farmers touting the "kyuri diet", and even citrus farmers pushing for an "Orange Day" on April 15th (to follow Valentine's and White Day). I wonder what foodstuffs the company makes.... hmmmm...

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

"The research, conducted jointly by Japanese food manufacturer Kinjirushi Co...."

> That's all I need to read to know this is BS. It's like the natto companies touting a natto diet, cucumber farmers touting the "kyuri diet", and even citrus farmers pushing for an "Orange Day" on April 15th (to follow Valentine's and White Day). I wonder what foodstuffs the company makes.... hmmmm...

Exactly. I take all of it with a grain of salt and a lot of "Yeah. Uh huh."

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Mocheake: Bingo! I mean, if you like wasabi, and I do with some things, have at it. But I'm not going to wait at the sold-out section of the supermarket (as it is when all these fad diets start due to some company announcement like this) just because someone told me it's good for me when it is no better for me than yesterday.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Are they kidding? Sorry, with or without Wasabi, but if you are at the point just only 'to process short conversations, perform simple calculations, and match names with faces', then it's already rather too late anyway, isn't it?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Excellent news..

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

What about not drinking sake? That'd undoubtedly be good for the memory. I don't think I'll ever see the day where that is studied, and comes to be.

health studies with one exclusive focus are always going to be part of a biased agenda.

Didn't know the wasabi lobby was so powerful- maybe sales are down.

And as kurisupisu adroitly pointed out, most wasabi you buy in Japan is not real wasabi, just horseradish with food colouring.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

So now wasabi is the new 'wonder food'? The problem with that is you can't have the amounts that would make a diiference as the kind of wasabi consumed is very bad for the stomach in more than small amounts. It's similar to tumeric in that tumeric's touted as a 'wonder food' tho it's not a food but too much will give some people kidney stones as well as other conditions.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The problem with that is you can't have the amounts that would make a diiference as the kind of wasabi consumed is very bad for the stomach in more than small amounts

As described by the article benefits were observed with the equivalent of 5 grams (one teaspoon?), that do not seems to be an amount prohibitively large. And of course if the results are confirmed there is nothing that prevents the active ingredient alone to be consumed as a supplement without having to eat whole wasabi.

Sorry, with or without Wasabi, but if you are at the point just only 'to process short conversations, perform simple calculations, and match names with faces', then it's already rather too late anyway, isn't it?

The article never says this is the only remaining mental abilities of the patients, they are just the surrogates that are easily measured to see if there is a benefit.

That's all I need to read to know this is BS.

That is a logical fallacy, just because there can be a COI that do not automatically refutes the findings of research, it just means you have to make sure proper mechanisms to reduce bias were followed. And even if not, it is still possible the results are completely valid for all anybody knows this could be an example of publication bias and 20 different possible benefits of wasabi were studied but only this one found something valuable, it would still be true.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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