The blueberry, a perennial plant related to the cranberry, is native to North America. Much research and popular interest in the health benefits of blueberries has yielded considerable information on their high nutrient value. Blueberries contribute to the prevention and treatment of a wide assortment of health conditions, including boosting learning and memory at all ages.
Learning at Young Age
Learning and memory are improved at a young age by blueberry consumption, according to a study published in the March 2009 "Behavioral Brain Research." In the study, 3-to-4-month-old laboratory mice consumed 60 milligrams per kilogram body weight of a polyphenol-rich extract of wild blueberries for seven days. Significant improvements in learning and memory were observed in the mice by comparison to a control group that did not receive blueberry extract. The improved learning was attributed, in part, to decreased lipid damage and higher vitamin C levels in the brain. The researchers noted that the blueberry extract had considerable benefits in the short time frame of the study.
Amyloid-Beta Protein
Blueberry supplementation reverses age-related cognitive decline, according to authors of a study on laboratory rats. High antioxidant blueberry extract protected brain neurons from accumulation of amyloid-beta--a type of protein that forms deposits in the brain that are associated with risk of dementia. Amyloid-beta is also associated with increased immune reactivity which can lead to inflammation and nerve cell damage, and blueberry treatment showed strong inhibition of these effects, in part by stimulating an increase in the levels of the antioxidant glutathione. The study was published in the October 2010 "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry."
Neuroprotection
Polyphenol compounds in blueberries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that improve memory in older adults, according to a study published in the April 2010 "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." Anthocyanins, the primary type of polyphenol in blueberries, also increase the functioning of neurons in the brain and improve the efficiency of glucose utilization, which help prevent nerve degeneration. In the study, participants drank wild blueberry juice for 12 weeks and showed improved memory and reduced depression. The researchers concluded that blueberry juice, as a component of the diet, represents a potential avenue for preventing dementia.
Brain Activation
A diet containing blueberries improved the working memory of aged laboratory animals, in a study published in the August 2008 "Free Radical Biology and Medicine." In the study, animals consumed a diet of 2 percent blueberries by weight for 12 weeks and within three weeks, improvements in spatial memory were observed. The researchers concluded that flavonoid antioxidants in blueberries may play a part in activation levels of areas of the brain involved in memory.
References
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry": Blueberry supplementation improves memory in older adults; Krikorian R; April 2010
- "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry": Age-related toxicity of amyloid-beta associated with increased pERK and pCREB in primary hippocampal neurons: reversal by blueberry extract; Brewer GJ; October 2010
- "Behavioral Brain Research": Effect of a polyphenol-rich wild blueberry extract on cognitive performance of mice, brain antioxidant markers and acetylcholinesterase activity; Papandreou MA, March 2009
- "Free Radical Biology and Medicine": Blueberry-induced changes in spatial working memory correlate with changes in hippocampal CREB phosphorylation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels; Williams CM; Aug. 2008
Member Comments