Open Mike: Wasaaaaaaabi! (Wasabi)

["Open Mike" is the often off-topic Editorial Page of TOP, wherein Yr. Hmbl. Ed. wades in the streams of mountain valleys.]

The news: Wasabi might improve memory. Hmm?

A "robust" but "small" Japanese study, of 72 Japanese adults between 60 and 80 years of age with "memory complaints," has found substantial increases in memory (but no other cognitive improvements) among a subject group taking 100mg of Wasabi extract over a 12-week period. Here's the source in English from Neuroscience News, which, oddly, doesn't mention the lead authors or the institution(s) backing the study. Here's that: the study is titled "Benefits of Wasabi Supplements with 6-MSITC (6-Methylsulfinyl Hexyl Isothiocyanate) on Memory Functioning in Healthy Adults Aged 60 Years and Older: Evidence from a Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial," and it was published in the journal Nutrients, Volume 15, Issue 21, with a publication date of October 30th, 2023. The authors are Rui Nouchi, Natasha Y.S. Kawata, Toshiki Saito, Haruka Nouchi, and Ryuta Kawashima, who have various and several institutional affiliations listed at the beginning of the Nutrients paper.

This viral news is highlighting the open secret that most "wasabi" used in sushi restaurants actually isn't. It's a paste made of ground horseradish, mustards, and food coloring. Real Japanese wasabi is a flowering leafy edible plant that grows naturally in the stream beds of mountain valleys in Japan, the rhizome of which is ground freshly for serving using very fine graters. Horseradish is related to wasabi, although it was not studied. Further complicating the confusion is the fact that horseradish is called "western wasabi" in Japan and wasabi is sometimes called "Japanese horseradish" in America. Still, they're not the same. The fake stuff is cheaper than real wasabi and doesn't have to be as fresh as real ground wasabi needs to be. Powders made from real wasabi, however, do keep well, so restaurants could serve real wasabi if they wanted to. One restaurant in Brookfield, Wisconsin, does so. The name of the restaurant is Wasabi Sushi Lounge.

When looking for real Japanese wasabi, it's imperative to check the ingredients and look for the terms "Eutrema japonicum" or "Wasabia japonica." That's the real deal. If you see any combination of horseradish, mustard, and artificial color listed, you're looking at the wrong thing. If you don't find an ingredients list, best not to assume, as real wasabi is substantially more scarce than the fake stuff. Note that some fake wasabi includes a small percentage of real wasabi so the latter can be listed in the ingredients, or so the product can be advertised with phrases such as, "Made using real Japanese wasabi!" (Food fraud is a recent interest of mine, by the way. A sprawling, and appalling, topic.)

Because memory and dementia are such widespread concerns, this study has received impressive amplification in the echo chamber, with hundreds of outlets all over the internet and across the globe jumping in on it. Real wasabi is sold out all over the place—the several American suppliers are sold out of many products, and the few powders available on Amazon that are 100% Eutrema japonicum or Wasabia japonica have sold out and become unavailable. (I had actually found a real powder and was discussing it with my friend Dan by text when it sold out before my eyes! Those who snooze lose.)

Note however that the study was done using supplements, not sushi. The members of the subject group took a capsule of powder containing .8 mg of 6-MSITC (also called hexaraphane), believed to be the operative isothiocyanate. What's 6-MSITC?

6-(Methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MITC or 6-MSITC) is a compound within the isothiocyanate group of organosulfur compounds. 6-MITC is obtained from cruciferous vegetables, chiefly wasabi. Like other isothiocyanates, it is produced when the enzyme myrosinase transforms the associated glucosinolate into 6-MITC upon cell injury. (Wikipedia.)

Hmm, I still don't know what 6-MSITC is. But that's the best I can do for you. I'm not a scientist—I don't even have an academic bachelor's degree, and didn't take chemistry in high school. I'm not competent to parse the chemistry niceties.

Anyway, if you want to replicate the study conditions, it might be best to choose a supplement, some of which—whaddaya know—turn out to be already sold as memory boosters and for brain health and so forth. I would think it would be best to look for one that has the relevant ingredients plainly listed, like this one does, so you're getting what you think you're getting. But, again, I'm no expert.

Have a nut
A study a few years back found that, oddly, eating four brazil nuts every month (four was better than two, but eight was not better than four) measurably lowers blood pressure. It wasn't the best study, but...it's just brazil nuts. So it falls into the category of "might help; can't hurt," and not a lot of caution is needed. That's probably the current status of consuming a bit more wasabi or wasabi extract. People have been eating it since the 8th century A.D. It ain't gonna kill you. Might help; can't hurt.

Finally, note that Kinjirushi Co., Ltd., is one of two entities listed in the paper under "Funding." The Kinjirushi website offers a plethora of wasabi products for sale, and the company describes itself thusly (this is the complete description at the top of the "About Us" page): "KINJIRUSHI continues the research of wasabi, to develop wasabi products, and spread wasabi through the world, under our management philosophy: 'Through our products, contributing to a trend for a healthier diet and diversifying food culture around the world.'" The paper states that the funders had no influence on the study; but, at the same time, you have to admit that the study certainly hits it out of the ballpark in re Kinjirushi's mission statement.

It's probably unrelated that Japan's largest purveyor of wasabi, Kinin, at one time promulgated the idea that wasabi cures baldness, triggering a lot of interest, and presumably sales, based on that evergreen concern. People are really looking for a way to rejuvenate and protect their memory. I ordered some powdered Eutrema japonicum.

The funding source does not necessarily discredit the study, and the study was published in a reviewed journal, which says a lot. But to me it means that independent corroboration not funded by a wasabi purveyor is essential before any real conclusions ought to be drawn. Or, as the old saw puts it, "more research is needed."

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go slap some wasabi on my bald spot.

Your hopefully helpful viral sensation untangling service,
Mike

Original contents copyright 2023 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

robert e: "Thanks, Mike. Very interesting. There's more. It seems medical research has been interested in 6-MSITC for some time for its demonstrated 'anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiplatelet, and anticancer effects.' That list is growing, obviously. The following study states that MSITC of all kinds are much more abundant in wasabi than in horseradish. Oh well. I once splurged on an omakase [chef's choice —Ed.] lunch at a celebrity sushi chef's restaurant (there's now over a dozen of them around the world), one reason being that I'd read that the 'wasabi' was 50% real wasabi. Well, the wasabi was great, but the meal was disappointing, thanks to an apparent desire or need to 'elevate' the simplest dish with an extra—presumably signature—flourish, whether gustatory or visual or (most often) both, which too often overwhelmed the key ingredient(s), and usually involved excess salt."

ASW: "Just my semi-educated (I moonlight as an evolutionary biologist/wildlife ecologist) opinion here, but the time folks spend chasing the latest and supposedly greatest diets, nutrients, memory enhancers, erectile ballooners, hair growers, or muscle maintainers would be better spent living a balanced and healthy life.

"I don't want to discourage anyone, but there's a good chance the time we spend researching the latest pill or extract to take, or whether it's better to eat this Amazonian fruit vs. that ancient Sumerian grain, would be better spent walking your dog, or bird watching, or going for a hike in nature, or playing pool. All of those activities engage and strengthen your body and mind, right now, rather than some time in the future.

"Speaking directly to Mike here, I would propose that your chosen profession keeps your mind active and engaged in excess of what most folks get on a daily basis. Add in a balanced and nutritious diet in moderate portions and regular exercise and you will maximize your health. No extracts or magic potions required. If you really like wasabi, that's fine too, but I wouldn't spend my time trying to buy it based on one (potentially questionable) study."

Comments

[Mike Mundy]

My visit to a wasabi farm:

https://mikereport.blogspot.com/2008/11/daio-wasabi-farm.html

[Herman Krieger]

Sounds like a lot of horseradish.

[Joe]

72 subjects? Ha, why bother? Slow news day?

[Scott]

Michael C. Johnston

This is the exact opposite of your ability to see photographs with no camera. Or remember photographs from years past.

https://psyche.co/ideas/i-have-no-minds-eye-let-me-try-to-describe-it-for-you

Also a quote from

https://aeon.co/essays/the-moral-imperative-to-learn-from-diverse-phenomenal-experiences?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

Take the case of Blake Ross, the co-creator of the Firefox web browser. For the first three decades of his life, Ross assumed his subjective experience was typical. After all, why wouldn’t he? Then he read a popular science story about people who do not have visual imagery. While most people can, without much effort, form vivid images in their ‘mind’s eye’, others cannot – a condition that has been documented since the 1800s but only recently named: aphantasia. Ross learned from the article that he himself had aphantasia. His reaction was memorable: ‘Imagine your phone buzzes with breaking news: WASHINGTON SCIENTISTS DISCOVER TAIL-LESS MAN. Well, then, what are you?’

Ross went on to ask his friends about what it’s like for them when they imagine various things, quickly realising that, just as he took his lack of imagery as a fact of the human condition, they similarly took their presence of visual imagery as a given. ‘I have never visualised anything in my entire life,’ Ross wrote in Vox in 2016. ‘I can’t “see” my father’s face or a bouncing blue ball, my childhood bedroom or the run I went on 10 minutes ago… I’m 30 years old, and I never knew a human could do any of this. And it is blowing my goddamn mind.’

Scott

[Grant]

Wasabi? Finally Mike and I agree on something.
I have been using Wasabi for 4 years now and have not regretted my decision at all. I find that Wasabi works just as well as the Lumix batteries which are almost impossible to find.

Did I mention Satire Alert?

[I get it.

Wait, are you saying you never agree with me about anything?! :-0 --Mike]

[Stan B.]

As per food fraud, beef can be officially labeled "grass fed" if the cow in question has chewed the leafy substance for something like two weeks of its brief, later life.

[And chickens can be called "free range" if there's a little door at one end of the vast barn where they're kept that leads to a tiny outdoor run. A door which none of them ever go through, because it leads to an unfamiliar place where there are no other chickens! --Mike]

[Matthew L]

On the subject of food fraud, the latest episode of the Search Engine podcast is a good listen (it's about fish): https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/am-i-the-victim-of-an-international-sushi-scam/id1614253637?i=1000637921775

Also, Act One of this episode of This American Life is a stone-cold classic: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/484/doppelgangers

[Sean]

I can see a lot of older folks taking the supplement, but it won’t be hip on campus

I’ll get my coat

[Roger]

I’m holding out for the study that demonstrates immortality is achieved by consuming all of the things claiming to add minutes, hours, days, or years to your life.

[It's not really longevity, it's the quality of life toward the end. If you take care of yourself, you stand a better chance of being vital and functional to within a few years of death. If you don't, your decline can be long and unpleasant. That's really more what people are aiming for I think. --Mike]

[Stan B.]

While we're at it, so called "sustainable fishing" (on a commercial level) is for all practical purposes, little more than wishful, feel good thinking due to the lack of any real regulation.

And... there'll be more plastic than fish (by the pound) in the world's oceans by 2050.

[Cliff]

I like Wasabi, great on sushi and in a salad dressing. Wait what were we talking about?