Blueberry juice in the morning may give a boost to your memory. (preliminary research only)
New research shows that drinking a daily dose of Blueberry Juice improved the memory of older adults with age-related memory problems. It is the first study to show the possible benefit of Blueberries in improving memory in older adults at risk of dementia.
“The findings of this preliminary study suggest that moderate-term blueberry supplementation can confer neurocognitive benefit,” write researcher Robert Krikorian, of the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, and colleagues in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Blueberries contain a wealth of phytochemicals that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, also, research in animals has shown that the anthocyanins (polyphenols) found in blueberries, have been shown to increase signaling in brain centers associated with memory and improve how the brain gets rid of glucose, all of which may help slow memory decline.
In the study, researchers looked at the effects of drinking blueberry juice on memory decline in nine adults in their 70s who were experiencing problems such as memory lapses and age-related memory decline. The subjects drank about two and a half cups of blueberry juice each day, made from commercially available frozen wild blueberries for 12 weeks. A comparison group of seven older adults drank a similar amount of placebo non-juice beverage for the same time period.
Memory tests were conducted by the researchers such as word association and list learning and recall tasks, at the beginning and end of the study.
Results showed the group that drank blueberry juice showed significant improvement on learning and memory tests compared to the placebo group.
The researchers said there were also trends suggesting reduced symptoms of depression and lower glucose levels among the blueberry juice drinkers, but further research will be needed to confirm these results.
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