Blueberries are a nutrient-rich superfood well known for their varied health benefits, ranging from cancer-fighting properties to maintaining insulin levels in diabetes patients.
New research suggests that consuming a handful of wild blueberries can improve cognitive and cardiovascular health.
Researchers from King’s College London Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine in the United Kingdom evaluated 61 healthy male and female participants, aged between 65 and 80 years. The participants were given a daily drink of 26 grams of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder for 12 weeks, while the control group had a matched placebo.
The blueberry drink was equivalent to 178g of whole blueberries, which comes to around 75–80 blueberries.
At the end of the study, researchers found the group that took blueberry drink was better at executive function, had improved short-term memory and had faster reaction times. They were also found to be better at recalling word lists and task switching.
The participants also showed improvements in systolic blood pressure and blood vessel function compared to the control group.
Researchers believe the beneficial effects of blueberries were due to their blue pigments called anthocyanins. They are a class of polyphenols that is found effective in increasing cardiovascular and cerebral blood flow.
These pigments are found in strawberries, raspberries, red grapes and purple vegetables. Other food items that contain anthocyanins are broccoli, pears and spices like turmeric.
“There is some evidence on health benefits of other anthocyanin-rich foods, and there is no reason to think that they will not work as well as blueberries, as long as the amount of anthocyanins provided with such foods is enough, and that the anthocyanins are bioaccessible and bioavailable,” said Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, a lead author of the study.
According to experts, the heart and cognitive benefits are not just restricted to wild blueberries, as previous studies have found similar…
Read the full article here