Soaked Almonds Exhibit Vitamin E-dependent Memory Protective Effect in Rodent Models

Background and Objective: It is believed in South-Asian traditions that a small dose of over-night soaked almonds taken in empty stomach have the potential to improve memory.This study aimed to investigate the comparative efficacy of whole and soaked almonds together with vitamin E estimation, given with or without food, for their memory protective effects in different animal models. Methodology:In study 1, different groups of mice (n = 9-10) were fed with three different doses (3, 6 and 12 g kgG 1 ) of almonds (whole, soaked and blanch-control) for 14 days.Memory protection was assessed using Morris water maze (MWM) in scopolamineinduced amnesia.Afterwards, mice were sacrificed and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition in hippocampus and frontal cortex was estimated.In study 2, High Fat Diet (HFD) was given to rats (n = 8) for 6 weeks for inducing memory impairment, together with different doses (1, 2 and 4 g kgG 1 ) of almonds (whole, soaked and blanch-control).Learning ability was tested through MWM performance in the last week.Besides, HPLC analysis was performed to see the effect of soaking on vitamin-E content of almonds.Results: Almond supplementation prevented scopolamine-induced amnesia in mice and improved learning ability in HFD-fed rats, respectively.Soaking led to an increase in vitamin-E content of almonds.Soaked almonds, consumed without food, protected memory and enhanced learning ability at a lower dose than the whole almonds in both models.With a dose-dependent trend, soaked almonds without food were found to be more effective in improving MWM performance and inhibiting AChE in hippocampus and frontal cortex.Conclusion: It is concluded that overnight soaking which enriches the vitamin-E content of almonds, effectively ameliorates memory impairments at low doses when consumed in empty stomach.