Scientists from Norwich Medical School found that eating cranberries for 12 weeks could help improve memory function in older people.
Cranberry is an evergreen shrub that grows in wet habitats in the Northeastern and North Central regions of the United States. Historically, cranberry fruits or leaves were used to treat bladder, stomach, and liver disorders, as well as diabetes, wounds, and other conditions. Today, cranberries are most commonly promoted for urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Aging is strongly linked to cognitive decline, and research suggests that certain dietary factors may help prevent or slow this process. Recent studies have found that specific dietary components—particularly (poly)phenol-rich fruits such as berries—can provide protection against age-related neurodegeneration.
Neurodegeneration is a slow, progressive loss of neuronal cells in specific regions of the brain and is a major pathological feature of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. However, the impact of cranberries on cognitive brain function in older adults has not been well understood.
In this study, the team examined the effect of cranberry powder on cognitive function in 60 older adults aged between 50 and 80 years. Half of the participants consumed freeze-dried cranberry powder daily, equivalent to one cup (100 g) of fresh cranberries, for 12 weeks. The other half received a placebo.
Participants completed cognitive tests, including assessments of memory and executive function. Executive function refers to a set of mental skills that involve working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. The researchers also conducted neuroimaging and analyzed blood samples before and after the intervention to assess the impact of daily cranberry intake on cognition and brain function.
The team found that eating cranberries for 12 weeks was linked to improvements in visual episodic memory in older adults. Human visual episodic memory is remarkable—often described as massive, invariant, and explicit—because it can store a large number of objects, recognize objects despite changes in appearance, and distinguish between visually similar items.
The researchers also observed a strong decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol during the 12-week cranberry intervention. LDL, sometimes referred to as “bad” cholesterol, makes up most of the body’s cholesterol, and high levels raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.
In addition, the team found changes in brain activity in the right entorhinal cortex in participants who consumed cranberries compared to the control group. The entorhinal cortex, located in the medial temporal lobe, plays a key role in memory, navigation, and the perception of time.
These findings suggest that eating cranberries every day—equivalent to one small cup—over a 12-week period may improve episodic memory performance, cholesterol levels, and neural functioning. The team says future studies are needed to determine whether cranberries could help manage or reduce symptoms of brain diseases in older adults.
The research was published in Frontiers in Nutrition and conducted by Emma Flanagan et al.
The research is published in Frontiers in Nutrition and was conducted by Emma Flanagan et al.
