Including these fruits in the diet reduces the risk of developing dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to a recent study. The reasons

The super power of blueberries lies in their high content of flavonoids, a natural antioxidant compound associated with slower rates of cognitive decline. These substances neutralize the action of free radicals that are harmful to the body, and promote both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial physiological effects.

Now, scientists at the University of Cincinnati, in the US, discovered that adding blueberries to the daily diet of certain middle-aged populations can reduce the chances of developing dementia in the last decades of life.

Eating just half a cup of blueberries a day at age 50 could help stave off dementia, according to the study. The American academics tracked 13 obese adults with mild memory impairment who ate the berries for three months and found a significant improvement in their memory compared to others who did not eat the fruit.

The team suggested that the berries may have a protective effect because they contain anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid that can reduce inflammation. But they admitted that it was difficult to determine whether the blueberries had triggered the improvement because the study was observational, meaning it couldn’t tell if the result was due to other factors, and it had a small sample size.

To arrive at these results, the scientists recruited 33 adults in their 50s from across the Cincinnati area who had gained weight in their middle age. Participants in both groups weighed around 93kg on average and had a waist circumference of around 107cm.

Their BMI scores were 33, classifying them as obese. All of them were prediabetic, when the body begins to become resistant to insulin. This is one step closer to type 2 diabetes, a key risk factor for dementia.

Over a 12-week period, the patients were asked to refrain from consuming berries of any kind except for one daily packet of powdered supplement that they had to mix with water and eat with breakfast or dinner. Half of the participants received powders containing the equivalent of half a cup of whole blueberries, while the other half received a placebo.

Participants were also given tests measuring certain cognitive abilities that decline in patients with aging and late-onset dementia, such as executive functions such as working memory, mental flexibility and self-control.

According to Dr. Robert Krikorian, the psychologist who led the study, those in the blueberry-treated group showed improvement in cognitive tasks that depend on executive control. “This was evidenced as less interference from extraneous information during learning and memory,” said the expert. Patients in the blueberry group also had lower fasting insulin levels, meaning the participants had improved metabolic function and were able to more easily burn fat for energy.

Krikorian noted that the blueberry group showed an additional slight degree of increased mitochondrial uncoupling, a cellular process that has been associated with increased longevity and reduced oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can cause symptoms such as fatigue and memory loss. “This latest finding was exploratory, but it points to an interesting potential mechanism for blueberry benefits,” he stressed.

In the future, the specialist is interested in better understanding the exact mechanisms that blueberries help to improve cognitive performance and metabolic function. But the main takeaway from the current study is that regular blueberry supplementation in mid-life risk diets may reduce the chances of developing dementia late in life.

“The sample size is an obvious limitation of the study, so it will be important to reproduce these findings, especially by other researchers. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to consume blueberries on a regular basis,” he concluded.

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