- Strawberries eaten in middle age can protect against cognitive decline and depression later on, according to a new randomized, controlled study.
- The study involved middle-aged people with overweight and insulin resistance who described themselves as experiencing mild cognitive decline.
- The study’s authors suggest that anthocyanins, bioactive compounds in strawberries, blueberries, and other berries, may be the neuroprotective agent at work.
- While endorsing strawberries as a healthy food, a neurologist was skeptical of the study’s findings.
Middle-aged adults with overweight and insulin resistance who consumed strawberries for 12 weeks reported a reduction in memory interference and depression, according to a new study.
With cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, developing slowly over a period of years beginning in midlife, the study’s authors investigated a dietary change that may slow the progression of dementias and may increase mood.
The study focuses on anthocyanins, a nutritional compound strawberries contain.
The current study was a small randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Five men and 25 women participated. They were split into two groups: one that consumed strawberries and one that received a placebo.
The researchers assessed individuals’ neurocognitive health and mood before the start of the 12-week trial.
During the trial, the experimental group was instructed to consume one packet of powder mixed with liquid, prepared from whole strawberries desiccated, freeze-dried, and milled. The strawberry packet contained the equivalent of one cup of whole fresh strawberries, established as a standard serving by the California Strawberry Commission, which funded the study.
The…
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