Capers revealed as superfood that boosts the brain

CAPERS, the edible flower buds used as seasoning in many recipes, have been labelled as the latest superfood.

Experts have discovered that pickled capers stimulate proteins which boost brain and heart health.

They could even be used to treat epilepsy and abnormal heart rhythms in future, say scientists.

Researchers from the

Irvine School of Medicine at the University of California revealed that a compound named quercetin, commonly consumed when eating capers, can directly regulate proteins required for bodily processes such as the heartbeat, thought, muscular contraction, and normal functioning of the thyroid, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. Capers can also fight common human diseases, including diabetes, cardiac arrhythmia and epilepsy.

The study revealed that quercetin works by regulating electrical activity in cells, suggesting a previously unexpected mechanism for the therapeutic properties of capers. Study co-author Professor Geoffrey Abbott said following these latest revelations about quercetin “future medicinal chemistry studies can be pursued to create and optimise quercetin-related small molecules for use as therapeutic drugs”.

The research is published in journal Communications Biology.