For those who enjoy strawberries, this may be berry delicious news.
According to University of Cincinnati researchers, certain middle-aged
individuals may be able to lower their chance of developing dementia by
consuming strawberries on a daily basis. The journal Nutrients published
their findings last month.
30 overweight individuals with moderate cognitive impairment were urged not
to eat berries during the 12-week research, with the exception of one daily
packet of supplement powder that they would mix with water and take with
breakfast.
The fifty to sixty-five-year-old volunteers were divided in half and given
a powder that was equal to one cup of whole strawberries, which is the
normal serving size. The other half received a placebo.
The individuals' mood, long-term memory, and metabolic health were
monitored by the researchers.
They discovered that the strawberry powder group significantly reduced
their depression symptoms and outperformed the control group on a word-list
learning test.
"Antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have been implicated in a variety
of berry health benefits such as metabolic and cognitive enhancements, are
found in both strawberries and blueberries," stated Robert Krikorian, an
emeritus professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Neuroscience at the UC College of Medicine, who conducted a study last year
on the health effects of blueberry consumption.
He went on, "There is epidemiological evidence suggesting that persons who
regularly eat blueberries or strawberries have a slower rate of cognitive
decline with aging."
Krikorian pointed out that ellagic acid and ellagitannins, which have been
shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer
qualities, are also present in strawberries.
According to Krikorian, the strawberries in his study may have enhanced
cognitive performance by lowering brain inflammation.
"At midlife, executive functioning starts to deteriorate, and excess
abdominal fat, along with insulin resistance and obesity, tends to
exacerbate inflammation, including in the brain," he said.
It is possible to conclude that the middle-aged, overweight, prediabetic
individuals in our sample had elevated inflammatory levels, which may have
led to a modest impairment in their executive functioning. As a result, the
positive impacts we saw may be connected to the strawberry group's reduced
inflammation.
Krikorian suggested that future studies include a larger sample size and a
range of strawberry dosages.
The university confirmed that the California Strawberry Commission funded
and donated strawberry and placebo powders for his research, but it denied
that the organization had any input into the study's design, data gathering
and processing, or dissemination of the findings.
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