Dr Paul Clayton 2013<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve all enjoyed the bumper harvest of berry fruits this year, and I hope
\nyou\u2019ve managed to freeze or preserve some for the winter too.<\/p>\n
Berries offer much more than a great taste. Recent research suggests that nutrients in
\nberries may protect your brain from age-related decline and enhance heart health.<\/p>\n
In animal studies conducted by Tufts\u2019 Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research
\nCenter on Aging (HNRCA), nutritional antioxidants\u2014such as the polyphenols found in
\nblueberries\u2014have been shown to reverse age-related declines in the brain\u2019s ability to
\nprocess information, as well as cognitive and motor deficits.<\/p>\n
The journal Neurobiology of Aging reported that laboratory rats fed blueberry extract
\nequivalent to one cup daily in humans, or strawberry extract equivalent to one pint daily
\nin humans, outperformed other aged rats.(1)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just blueberries and strawberries. In a study published in Nutritional Neuroscience,
\nTufts researchers fed aged rats a 2% blackberry-supplemented diet for eight weeks.
\nThe blackberry diet improved motor performance on tasks that rely on balance and
\ncoordination, and the blackberry-fed rats had significantly greater short-term memory
\nperformance than the control rats.(2)<\/p>\n
Several epidemiological studies corroborate the animal research.<\/p>\n
REFERENCES<\/p>\n
1. Galli RL, Bielinski DF, Szprengiel A, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA.
\nBlueberry supplemented diet reverses age-related decline in
\nhippocampal HSP70 neuroprotection. Neurobiol Aging. 2005 Apr 30.<\/p>\n
2. Shukitt-Hale B, Cheng V, Joseph JA. Effects of blackberries on motor
\nand cognitive function in aged rats. Nutritional Neuroscience 12.3
\n(2009): 135-140.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"