The same compound thought to be good for aging hearts may be good for elderly brains as well, researchers announced recently. In fact, it could potentially help people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Professor Ashok K. Shetty, Ph.D., said research that he and colleagues have conducted on Resveratrol, a common ingredient in red grapes, red wine and peanuts, now shows promise in preventing age-related memory decline. 

Shetty, who serves on the faculty of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine and Director of Neurosciences at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, has been studying the effects of the antioxidant on the brain’s hippocampus region, which serves memory, mood and learning functions.

The research was funded in part by a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.