Two separate clinical studies show that berries appear to give a boost to brain power.
In one study, healthy men and women ages 60 to 75 were given two cups of strawberries for 90 days. They showed improved scores for word recognition and spatial memory.
In another study, researchers showed that older adults who ate the equivalent of one cup of blueberries for 90 days didn't repeat themselves as often.
Quoted in Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, Barbara Shukitt-Hale said researchers speculate that the anthocyanins in berries have certain anti-inflammatory properties that have direct effects on the brain.
Supplements, she said, don't appear to work. It is the combination of nutrients in berries that seem to have a benefit.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
