Blueberries and Strawberries Reduce the Rate of Brain Aging

Researchers followed the intake of berries in a group of women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study for more than 20 years. They observed that women who had higher berry intake, especially blueberries but also strawberries, delayed cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years.

“As the U.S. population ages, understanding the health issues facing this group becomes increasingly important,” said Dr. Elizabeth Devore with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. “Our study examined whether greater intake of berries could slow rates of cognitive decline. We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow progression of cognitive decline in elderly women. Our findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection in older adults.”

America is facing an aging population and an epidemic of cognitive decline related issues, including Alzheimer’s disease. Increasing berry intake is relatively easy and should be done by everyone at any age. Dietary supplements with concentrations of the active components of the berries are another effective and convenient way to boost intake.