Berries Keep Aging Minds Sharp

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Berries Keep Aging Minds Sharp

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

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Adding more blueberries and strawberries to your diet helps keep your mind

sharp as you age, according to a new study published in the ls of

Neurology. The study found that cognitive aging (the ability to think,

reason, and remember) is delayed up to 2.5 years in older people who eat

greater amounts of berries.

Researchers believe that berries' brain-boosting ability comes from

flavonoids, compounds found in plants that have powerful antioxidant effects

and also fight inflammation. They believe that inflammation and stress

contribute to cognitive decline, and adding more berries to the diet could

moderate their harmful effects.

Harvard scientists examined information on 121,700 registered nurses who

have been a part of the Nurses' Health Study since 1976. At the beginning of

the study, they were between the ages of 30 and 55 and completed health and

lifestyle questionnaires. Since 1980, they have been surveyed every four

years, and between 1995 and 2001, cognitive function was measured every two

years in women who were over the age of 70.

Researchers found that women who had a higher intake of berries showed a

delay in cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years. Reduced cognitive aging

was also associated with a higher total consumption of flavonoids and

anthocyanidins (chemical compounds that give fruits and vegetables their

pigment - some of the most colorful and deeply colored fruits and vegetables

are the richest in anthocyanidins). Other foods rich in anthocyanidins

include black and red grapes, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, red

cabbage, red onion, and eggplant.

Slowing cognitive decline becomes even more important as the population

ages. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the group of Americans 65 years and

older increased by 15 percent during the previous decade, while the general

population saw a 9.7 percent increase in growth. " As the U.S. population

ages, understanding the health issues facing this group becomes increasingly

important, " said Dr. Devore with Brigham and Women's Hospital and

Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass.

" We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow

progression of cognitive decline in elderly women, " said Dr. Devore. " Our

findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry

intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection

in older adults. "