BLUEBERRY MEMORY BOOST
A new study from the United States has established that drinking approximately 500 ml of blueberry juice a day can improve learning and word list recall, as well as reduce depressive symptoms in older people with early memory problems. Researchers, led by Robert Krikorian from the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center state that their preliminary findings are encouraging and suggest that consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate neurodegeneration. They added, however, that "interpretation of the findings should be tempered because of the relatively small sample size and the absence of a blueberry-specific control." . The beneficial effects of the blueberries are thought to be linked to their flavonoid content and this study is said to be the first human trial to assess the potential benefits of blueberries on brain function in older adults with increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer's. The researchers believe that replication of the findings in a larger, controlled trial will be important to corroborate and amplify the data. The findings were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.