Strawberries: A Berry Good Solution to Cognitive Decline?

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Highlights:

• A recent study shows that eating strawberries everyday can increase cognitive function by 5.2% in older adults
• Strawberry eating also resulted in a 3.6% decrease in systolic blood pressure and a 10.2% increase in total antioxidant capacity
• Strawberries are high in bio-active components, supplying a variety of heart-healthy elements as well as 100% of our daily vitamin C requirements

Can eating strawberries everyday keep doctors away? A recent study sheds light on how eating strawberries everyday can enhance brain health, decrease blood pressure, and increase antioxidant capacity. This is in accordance with a randomized clinical study that was presented at Nutrition 2023, the American Society of Nutrition's (ASN) annual meeting.

Strawberries can Help Improve Cognitive Function in Older Adults

The study, performed at San Diego State University, expands on prior studies confirming strawberries' cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive health advantages (1^✔).

The 35 healthy men and women aged 66 to 78 took part in the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. For eight weeks, each participant ingested 26 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder, equivalent to two servings of strawberries per day, or a control powder (2^✔).

‘Strawberries can help decrease cognitive decline, blood pressure all while providing 100% of your daily vitamin C needs. #strawberries #brain’

Strawberry eating boosted cognitive processing speed by 5.2%, lowered systolic blood pressure by 3.6%, and raised overall antioxidant capacity by 10.2%. Both the control and intervention arms of the experiment had a 1.1% decrease in waist circumference. Participants' serum triglycerides rose while taking the control powder.

Eating Strawberries can Help People with High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol

"This study demonstrates that consuming strawberries may promote cognitive function and improve cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension," said Shirin Hooshmand, professor in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at San Diego State and principal investigator on the study. "We're encouraged that a simple dietary change, like adding strawberries to the daily diet, may improve these outcomes in older adults."

Strawberries include a variety of bioactive chemicals. Strawberry has heart-healthy elements such as folate, potassium, fiber, phytosterols, and polyphenols, in addition to meeting 100% of our daily vitamin C needs.

Previous clinical research has linked strawberry consumption to benefits in numerous cardiovascular disease indicators, such as decreased total and LDL cholesterol (TC) and blood pressure. Strawberry intake and brain health have also been extensively researched in clinical and population-based studies.

Pelargonidin in Strawberries can Help Reduce Alzheimer's Disease

Strawberries and pelargonidin, a molecule found largely in strawberries, have been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease in research done at Rush University. Strawberry users have decreased rates of cognitive loss, according to long-term observational studies (3^✔).

References:

1. Potential impact of strawberries on human health: a review of the science - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15077879/)
2. Strawberries decrease atherosclerotic markers in subjects with metabolic syndrome - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20797478/)
3. Pelargonidin and Berry Intake Association with Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology: A Community-Based Study - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35694918/)

Source: Medindia

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