Already known to help lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease, now you can potentially add Alzheimer’s prevention to the list.
According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, new research conducted at the University of Cincinnati suggests the ‘superfood’ can help improve thinking performance.
In the small prelimenary study, 47 adults aged 68 and above, who already had mild cognitive impairment, were found to have improved thinking performance after consuming blueberries in powder form.
“There was improvement in cognitive performance and brain function in those who had the blueberry powder compared with those who took the placebo,” said lead researcher Robert Krikorian.
“The blueberry group demonstrated improved memory and improved access to words and concepts,” which was further demonstrated in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans.
The findings were presented at the 251st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in San Diego, California.
A follow-up study is now on the cards, but this time with a younger group of participants aged 50 to 65, some of whom are known to be at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s.