Blueberries Can Lower Risk of Alzheimer's
There are currently 5.3 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. In nine more years, that number could reach seven million. Hopefully, new research using blueberries can offer help.
There has recently been new research indicating blueberries can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Robert Krikorian and his team of scientists from University of Cincinnati presented their results at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. They believe that blueberries, along with all of their powerful nutrients and antioxidants, are extremely beneficial in improvement of memory and cognitive functions in seniors.
The first of the two studies performed by Krikorian and his team involved 47 seniors, all 68 years and older, ingesting an amount of freeze-dried blueberry powder equal to one cup of blueberries or placebo for 16 weeks. The researchers tested the participants’ memory and language skills.
The second study involved 97 adults between the ages of 62 and 80 years old who were already showing symptoms of memory loss.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) showed those who consumed the powder showed significant improvement and increased activity in the brain. Results were more pronounced for participants that had more severe symptoms than those who were barely showing symptoms.
Krikorian attributes the benefits of blueberries to the anthocyanins, a flavonoid and antioxidant that is responsible for the deep, rich, blue color of blueberries. Previous studies have shown anthocyanins to be successful in improving cognitive skills in animals.
In recent years there have been numerous studies unlocking seemingly unlimited benefits housed inside the sweet delicious blueberry Americans love. Another interesting benefit for seniors in addition to helping fight off Alzheimer’s is their ability to reverse having gray hair. Blueberries have vitamin B6 which has been proven to reverse graying of hair. Blueberries also help promote hair growth with their proanthocyanidins.
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