Another Study Shows Eating Blueberries Fights Alzheimer’s Disease
Many people do not know that Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death of adults in America, and the number of people affected by this debilitating disease is increasing. Scientists are searching for a cure, and the healthfulness of blueberries is proving to hold a measure of promising. Another research study has shown that eating blueberries fights Alzheimer’s Disease.
Study Details
This particular study used mice that had induced amnesia to replicate the memory loss that is seen in forms of dementia like Alzheimer’s, according to an American Chemical Society article. The mice were given blueberry vinegar, and then researchers measured the the molecular movement in the mice brains to determine if there were any changes.
Blueberries were chosen because of their wide range of active compounds that could be beneficial to Alzheimer’s sufferers. Vinegar was chosen as the medium because fermentation can boost the bioactivity of some natural ingredients.
How Eating Blueberries Fights Alzheimer’s Disease
According to the article, research into Alzheimer’s has shown that those suffering from that form of dementia have lower levels of acetylcholine, a signaling compound, and its receptors. Lowering acetylcholine and blocking its receptors has been shown to negatively affect learning and memory.
Different drugs have been created that stop the breakdowns of acetylcholine, but they have bad side effects or don’t stay in the body long enough. The researchers wanted to test whether a natural extract—like in blueberries—would do the trick.
Researchers tested the cognition of the mice by utilizing both maze tests and avoidance testing. According to the research, which was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the blueberry vinegar seemed to have a positive impact.
According to the ACS article, on a molecular level in the brain,“vinegar reduced the breakdown of acetylcholine and boosted levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein associated with maintaining and creating healthy neurons.” Mice treated with the blueberry vinegar also did better on the tests, indicating improved short-term memory. While more research is needed to reach a definitive conclusion, the test show that it’s possible that eating blueberries fights Alzheimer’s disease.
Find an array of blueberry recipes on the BlueberriesFromFlorida.com recipes pages or the Blueberries from Florida Pinterest recipe boards to ensure you’re enjoying delicious and healthful blueberries every day!
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