Eating blueberries improves brain health in old age

They are small, beautiful and tasty, but these are not all the features of blueberries.

For years berries have been known as a particularly healthy food for the brain, heart and even against obesity.

Now another study reveals an amazing advantage

Voila system!

health

09/28/2022

Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 07:03 Updated: 10:01

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Five things you may not have known about the brain ("must miss" system)

It's true that it's already the end of the season and it's hard to find them in supermarkets, but without a doubt blueberries are one of the best fruits out there.

Now, in a study involving volunteers with cognitive problems who consumed blueberries daily for six months, it was found that the participants' ability to process information improved.

The findings were published in Nutritional Neuroscience, an international journal on nutrition, nutrition and the nervous system.

According to the research editor Professor Carol L.

Chatham, from the Nutrition Research Institute at the University of North Carolina The study was particularly relevant in an aging society where cognitive decline and dementia are becoming a significant issue in public health.

"We need interventions to improve brain health, and thus, the quality of life of older adults, especially now that the 'boomers' generation are reaching an age where brain health is becoming an issue of concern," she said.

The study included 86 adults (ages 65-80) who self-reported some cognitive problems.

Another 43 older adults who did not experience any problems were included as a comparison group.

All participants underwent tests to confirm their cognitive status.

They were then randomly assigned to consume wild blueberry powder or a placebo powder and instructed to include the powder daily in their diet.

small and powerful.

Blueberries (Photo: ShutterStock)

The participants were monitored that tested their cognitive abilities every month and at the end of the study they were tested again.

The tests included a computerized diagnostic system for brain-psychological diagnosis (CANTAB) and a brain imaging technique.

The results showed that basic cognitive ability - processing speed - improved in the wild blueberry group.

In fact, processing speed was restored to the level of those in the reference group who did not experience any cognitive decline.

Processing speed is the speed at which the brain transfers information, and it underlies all cognitive abilities.

How quickly a person can remember a word, make a decision, recall a memory, or even, remember a phone number, depends on processing speed.

Daily consumption of wild blueberries for six months, therefore, improves brain health.

Stop dementia?

Blueberries and berries are known to be extremely nutritious fruits and loaded with antioxidants called anthocyanins.

For example, in a study conducted at Konkuk University in South Korea, he discovered that drinking and eating blueberry vinegar may prevent and even reverse the damage of dementia.

As part of the research, an experiment was performed on mice that suffered from amnesia, and the researchers discovered that the memory of the mice that were fed blueberry vinegar, which is produced in the process of fermenting the fruit, returned to them following the consumption of the vinegar.

The fact that blueberries contain chemicals and compounds that strengthen and protect the brain has been known for some time, and Korean researchers claim that in their fermented form as vinegar they are even more effective.

The researchers discovered that after consuming the vinegar, the mice had higher levels of a protein that serves as a kind of "fuel" for the nerve cells, as well as higher levels of another compound that causes dementia to be destroyed.

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• Nutrition and diet

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