Eating Berries Shows Positive Effects on the Brain
According to a report presented by Shibu Poulose, Ph.D. at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), eating blueberries, strawberries and acai berries helps the brain clean and recycle toxic proteins which are linked to age-related memory loss and diseases.
Polyphenolics, natural compounds found in fruits, vegetables and some nuts, have an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect, protecting the brain from aging issues such as inflammation and oxidative damage, which lead to degenerative brain diseases, heart disease and cancer.
Poulose’s study consisted of feeding old laboratory rats high amounts of high-antioxidant strawberry, blueberry and blackberry extract for two months. The rats showed a reversal of age-related deficiency in nerve function, and an improvement in learning and remembering.
Poulose’s team of researchers concluded that the polyphenolics in berries helped restore the brain’s natural “housekeeping” function, which removes biomedical debris that would otherwise interfere with normal brain function.
This study provides evidence that eating foods rich in polyphenolics, such as berries, walnuts, and vegetables with deep red, orange and blue colors contain hundreds of healthy chemicals, as do frozen berries, which are available all-year-round.
