Tart Montmorency cherries (Prunus Cerasus L.) modulate vascular function acutely, in the absence of improvement in cognitive performance

Cerebral blood volume and metabolism of oxygen declines as part of human ageing and this has been previously shown to be related to cognitive decline. There is some evidence to suggest that polyphenol-rich foods can play an important role in delaying the onset or halting the progression of age-related health disorders such as cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s disease, and to improve cognitive function. In the present study, an acute, placebo-controlled, double blinded, cross-over, randomised Latin square design study with a wash-out period of at least 14 days was conducted in twenty-seven middle aged (defined as 45-60 years) volunteers. Participants received either a 60 mL dose of a Montmorency tart cherry concentrate (MC), which contains 68.0 ±0.26 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside /L, 160.75 ± 0.55 mean gallic acid equiv/L and 0.59 ± 0.02 mean Trolox equiv/L, respectively or a placebo (PLA). Cerebrovascular responses, cognitive performance and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and 1, 2, 3 and 5 h following consumption. There were significant differences in concentrations of total and oxy-haemoglobin during the task period 1 h post MC consumption (p ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, MC consumption significantly lowered SBP (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. These results show that a single dose of MC concentrate can modulate certain variables of vascular function; however this does not translate to improvements in cognition or mood.