What’s New in Anti-Aging Research? Blueberries!

In seems no matter what researchers come up with to explain why we age, studies always point to free radical damage as the culprit, which is basically the Free Radical Theory of Aging. So any compound that neutralizes free radicals is a contender in the fight to defy aging via exerting antioxidant activity. It’s just a matter of which compounds or food sources provide the greatest amount of antioxidants. According to numerous studies, Blueberries seem to be the antioxidant source of choice.

Researchers at the Department of Pharmacology in Boston published an article in which it reports that “diets supplemented with either spinach, strawberries or blueberries, nutritional sources of antioxidants, reverse age-induced declines brain cell function. In addition the spinach diet improved learning on a runway motor task. Motor learning is important for adaptation to changes in the environment and is thus critical for rehabilitation following stroke, spinal cord injury, and the onset of some neurodegenerative diseases. These data are the first to indicate that age-related deficits in motor learning and memory can be reversed with nutritional interventions.”(1)

An animal study conducted at the University of Barcelona, Spain, treated animals with blueberry supplements. Researchers found several polyphenolic compounds from blueberries in the cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus or striatum of the animals. These findings are the first to suggest that polyphenolic compounds are able to cross the blood brain barrier and localize in various brain regions important for learning and memory. The study revealed a relationship between water maze performance in blueberry-supplemented animals and the total number of anthocyanin compounds found in the cortex. In short, the more blueberries you eat, the smarter you may become.(2)

Most of the studies investigating the effect blueberries have on memory have been on animals. However, even though there is much more research to be done before concluding that blueberries will have the same effect on humans, the fact that antioxidants benefit the brain and every other organ is undeniable. The animal studies so far have been fascinating and encouraging as far as finding natural means to helping us preserve our youthful memory.

References:
1. Brain Res. 2000 Jun 2;866(1-2):211-217.
2. Nutr Neurosci. 2005 Apr;8(2):111-20.