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A glass of red wine or a handful of peanuts could help prevent memory loss because they both contain a crucial antioxidant, new research has revealed, the Daily Mail reports.

Experts believe a compound found in common foods such as red grapes could even prove vital in the battle against Alzheimer's disease.

Both peanuts and red grapes as well as red wine and some berries contain an antioxidant that is capable of protecting cells from age-related damage, researchers say.

Resveratrol has been widely touted for its potential to prevent heart disease, but a team of American scientists believe it also has positive effects on the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is critical to functions such as memory, learning and mood.

The latest research was led by Ashok K. Shetty, a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine and Director of Neurosciences at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Texas.

Because both humans and animals show a decline in cognitive capacity after middle age, the findings may have implications for treating memory loss in the elderly.

Resveratrol may even be able to help people afflicted with severe neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

In a study published online in Scientific Reports, Shetty and his research team members reported that treatment with resveratrol had apparent benefits in terms of learning, memory and mood function in aged rats.

'The results of the study were striking,' Professor Shetty said.

'They indicated that for the control rats who did not receive resveratrol, spatial learning ability was largely maintained but ability to make new spatial memories significantly declined between 22 and 25 months.

'By contrast, both spatial learning and memory improved in the resveratrol-treated rats.'

Shetty said neurogenesis - the growth and development of neurons - approximately doubled in the rats given resveratrol compared to the control rats.

The resveratrol-treated rats also had significantly improved microvasculature, indicating improved blood flow, and had a lower level of chronic inflammation in the hippocampus.

'The study provides novel evidence that resveratrol treatment in late middle age can help improve memory and mood function in old age,' Shetty said.