Blueberries can improve cognitive function in older people, study finds

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Scientists from Tufts University found eating blueberries can help improve cognitive function in older people.

The research is published in the European Journal of Nutrition and was conducted by Marshall G Miller et al.

As populations shift to include a larger proportion of older adults, the necessity of research targeting older populations is becoming increasingly apparent.

Dietary interventions with blueberry have been associated with positive outcomes in cell and rodent models of aging.

Previous research has found that blueberries can help heart health, bone strength, skin health, blood pressure, diabetes management, cancer prevention, and mental health.

One cup of blueberries provides 24 percent of a person’s recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.

In the study, the team hypothesized that dietary blueberry would improve mobility and cognition among older adults.

They tested 13 men and 24 women, between the ages of 60 and 75 years. These people consumed either freeze-dried blueberry (24 g/day, equivalent to 1 cup of fresh blueberries) or a blueberry placebo for 90 days.

Participants completed a battery of balance, gait, and cognitive tests at baseline and again at 45 and 90 days of intervention.

The team found participants in the blueberry group showed much fewer repetition errors in the California Verbal Learning Test and reduced switch cost on a task-switching test across study visits, relative to controls.

However, no improvement in gait or balance was observed.

These findings show that the addition of easily achievable quantities of blueberry to the diets of older adults can improve some aspects of cognition.

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