Tart Montmorency Cherries (prunus Cerasus L.) Acutely Modulate Vascular Function In The Absence Of Improvements In Cognition.: 277 Board #98 May 31 11

Cerebral blood volume and metabolism of oxygen declines as part of human ageing and has been related to cognitive decline. There is some evidence to suggest that polyphenol-rich foods play an important role in delaying the onset or attenuating the progression of age-related health disorders such as cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s disease, and to improve cognitive function. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of Montmorency tart cherry juice consumption on pre-frontal cortical haemodynamics, cognitive function and blood pressure in middle-aged adults. METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy middle aged adults were recruited to take part in the study; the mean ± SD age, stature, mass and BMI were 50 ± 6 years, 170.7 ± 9.1 cm, 76.0 ± 16.0 kg and 26.1 ± 4.9 kg/m2, respectively. Participants received either a 60 mL dose of a Montmorency tart cherry concentrate (MC) or a placebo (PLA) in a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study with a >14 day wash-out period between conditions. Cerebrovascular responses (cerebral blood flow volume, total-, deoxy-, and oxy-haemoglobin), cognitive performance, mood and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and 1, 2, 3 and 5 h following consumption. Total-, deoxy- and oxy-haemoglobin were also continuously measured during the 60-min resting/absorption period immediately following supplementation. RESULTS: There were significant differences in concentrations of total and oxy-haemoglobin during the last three epochs of the resting/absorption period (p ≤ 0.05) and during the cognitive task period 1 h post consumption (p ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, MC consumption significantly lowered systole (p ≤ 0.05) over a period of 3 h, with peak reductions of 6 ± 2 mmHg at 1 h post MC consumption relative to the placebo. Cognitive function and mood were not affected. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that MC concentrate can acutely modulate CBF in the prefrontal cortex characterized by increased concentrations of both total- and oxy-haemoglobin. Despite this, the results do not translate to improvements in cognition or mood in the hours following consumption. Importantly, these data support previous findings observations that demonstrate a significant improvement in systole following MC supplementation.