Research has suggested that eating a small bowl of blueberries every day can help prevent dementia.
Scientists have tried giving healthy adults the equivalent of 100 grams of fruit a day.
Volunteers who ate a fruit powder, famous for its bitter taste, were found to have a better memory after 12 weeks.
MRIs have shown that those who eat blueberries have better blood flow to vital parts of the brain.
According to a study conducted by the University of East Anglia, people who ate blueberries also had lower levels of bad cholesterol by 9%.
It “may partially contribute to improved brain perfusion and cognition,” the team wrote.
LDL cholesterol can harden and form plaque in the arteries, which reduces blood flow to the brain.
Doctors recommend eating raw or blended cranberries instead of cranberry juice, which is often full of sugar.
But strong taste often prevents people from eating fresh fruit, which is more common than dried versions with higher sugar levels.
Half of the 60 adults in the study, ages 50 to 80, took the powdered form of freeze-dried blueberries. Others were given a placebo.
The research article, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, looked at blood tests and MRIs in men and women who had not been diagnosed with dementia at the beginning and end of the study.
Participants were excluded if they had a serious illness and condition, smoked, or took medications.
The researchers tried to take as many husbands and wives as possible to ensure that the diets in the blueberry and control groups were identical.
Blood tests and cognitive tests were performed at the start of the study and after 12 weeks to assess cholesterol levels and brain function.
The lead author, Dr. David Vazor that the group that ate blueberries “significantly improved” memory.
This supports the idea that blueberries can improve blood vessel health and can contribute in part to better brain perfusion and cognition.
The study was funded by the Cranberry Institute.
Source: Daily Mail
Source: Arabic RT
