Blueberry juice sharpens memory in the aged

WASHINGTON - A few glasses of blueberry juice a day may help sharpen memory in the aged, says a new study.

Scientists have unearthed proof that blueberries, one of the richest source of healthy antioxidants and other phytochemicals, improve memory. The study establishes a basis for comprehensive human clinical trials to determine whether blueberries really deserve their growing reputation as a memory enhancer. Robert Krikorian, psychiatrist at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Centre and colleagues point out that previous animal studies suggest that eating blueberries may help boost memory in the aged.

Until now, however, there had been little scientific work aimed at testing the effect of blueberry supplementation on memory in people. In the study, one group of volunteers in their 70s with early memory decline drank the equivalent of 2-2 l/2 cups of a commercially availableblueberry juice every day for two months.

A control group drank some other beverage. The blueberry juice group showed significant improvement on learning and memory tests, the scientists say, according to a release of the American Chemical Society (ACS). “These preliminary memory findings are encouraging and suggest that consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate neuro-degeneration,” said the report.

The report appeared in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Source: Health News