Hazelnut effect on memory

The hazelnut, also known as cobnut or filbert, is an edible nut used to make oil, praline and chocolate truffles. It is also the ingredient for Nutella.

Hazelnuts, of the Corylus Avellana species, are rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamin E, thiamin, phosphorus, manganese and magnesium. They also have B vitamins, vitamin K, calcium, zinc and potassium; as well as fats – monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated. (1)

Cobnuts

A cobnut is a type of hazelnut that is larger and has a distinct flavor. It is traditionally grown in Kent (thus, called Kentish cobnuts) but now, there are other commercial orchards within United Kingdom. (2)

Filberts

Hazelnuts are ready for harvesting around August 20th, which happens to be the feast day of France’s St. Philbert. Thus, Catholic European hazelnut eaters, began calling those nuts as filberts. However, some historians believe that filbert came from vollbart, the German word for full beard, that which resembles a hazelnut husked shell. Typically though, filbert refers to commercially cultivated crops of hazelnuts. (3)

Hazelnuts and memory

Hazelnuts have been studied for their effect on memory as Iranians traditionally use it to remedy Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The results showed memory improvement on hazelnut-fed lab rats, as well as reduced anxiety in their behavior. Overall findings suggest that hazelnut dietary supplements could treat AD and improve healthy aging. (4)

References:
(1) Hazelnut. (2018, December 28). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelnut.
(2) About Kentish Cobnuts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2019 from https://www.kentishcobnuts.com/cobnuts/.
(3) Filippone, Peggy Trowbridge. (2019, February 1). Why Are Hazelnuts Known as Filberts? The Story Behind the Name. Retrieved from https://www.thespruceeats.com/why-are-hazelnuts-called-filberts-1808319.
(4) Zahra B. (2017, July). Hazelnut and neuroprotection: Improved memory and hindered anxiety in response to intra-hippocampal Aβ injection. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26808646.