Posted on 04/12/2008 11:14:02 AM PDT by blam
Getting Forgetful? Then Blueberries May Hold The Key
ScienceDaily (Apr. 12, 2008) — If you are getting forgetful as you get older, then a research team from the University of Reading and the Peninsula Medical School in the Southwest of England may have good news for you
They have found that phytochemical-rich foods, such as blueberries, are effective at reversing age-related deficits in memory, according to a study soon to be published in the science journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine. The researchers working at the Schools of Food Biosciences and Psychology in Reading and the Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter supplemented a regular diet with blueberries over a 12-week period, and found that improvements in spatial working memory tasks emerged within three weeks and continued throughout the period of the study.
Blueberries are a major source of flavonoids, in particular anthocyanins and flavanols. Although the precise mechanisms by which these plant-derived molecules affect the brain are unknown, they have been shown to cross the blood brain barrier after dietary intake. It is believed that they exert their effects on learning and memory by enhancing existing neuronal (brain cell) connections, improving cellular communications and stimulating neuronal regeneration.
The enhancement of both short-term and long-term memory is controlled at the molecular level in neurons. The research team was able to show that the ability of flavonoids to induce memory improvements are mediated by the activation of signalling proteins via a specific pathway in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls learning and memory.
This innovative research was conducted by a multidisciplinary research team led by Dr. Jeremy Spencer, a lecturer in Molecular Nutrition at the University of Reading and included Dr. Claire Williams, a Psychologist also from Reading and Dr. Matt Whiteman, a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, Peninsula Medical School. Dr Spencer commented: "Impaired or failing memory as we get older is one of life's major inconveniences. Scientists have known of the potential health benefits of diets rich in fresh fruits for a long time. Our previous work had suggested that flavonoid compounds had some kind of effect on memory, but until now we had not known the potential mechanisms to account for this".
Dr. Whiteman added "This study not only adds science to the claim that eating blueberries are good for you, it also provides support to a diet-based approach that could potentially be used to increase memory capacity and performance in the future. Indeed, Dr. Spencer's research team plan on extending these findings further by investigating the effects of diets rich in flavonoids on individuals suffering from cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease."
Adapted from materials provided by The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.
Yes, I’ll forget you said it. :)
I read somewhere that 90+% of the nation’s blueberries are produced right here in Maine.
McCain needs to eat more blueberries.
I heard that Eastport and the rest of "Down East Maine" is a big blueberry area. I've never been there, but I sure would love to visit that area of Maine in the Summer or early Fall.
This is cool. I’m planting a pair of blueberry bushes this weekend that I picked up at Home Depot. Any special tips I need to know?
Well, yeah. They won’t grow in Texas.
Funny..
Bears love Salmon and Blueberries.
The book above is real big on both.
All the "berries" have some sort of micro-nutrients according to the book above again.
I don't know much, except that everybody here burns the fields in the fall. I guess it kills the weeds, and the berry plants like it.
They grow wild on my property, I just pick 'em.
And delicious as well.
ping
Great tagline. :)
Lowbush only grows to a foot tall, at most.
I can not even begin to imagine how bad my memory would be if I didn’t live in Maine. Blueberry’s are like weeds up here, they are everywhere. I must eat 200 pounds a year.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.