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Due to its antioxidant properties, fruit is capable of reducing the risk of dementia – iStock/Getty Images
A study carried out by University of Cincinnati, in the United States, indicates that strawberries may reduce the risk of dementia in certain middle-aged individuals. Initially, the research also took into account the effects provided by blueberries, also known as blueberries.
Evidence obtained from research revealed that both strawberries and blueberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins, which result in a variety of health benefits, such as metabolic and cognitive improvements. Epidemiological data suggests that people who regularly consume strawberries or blueberries have a slower rate of cognitive decline as they age. In addition to containing anthocyanins, strawberries contain additional micronutrients called ellagitannins and ellagic acid that have been linked to health benefits.
How was the research carried out?
To understand the possible relationship, a total of 30 overweight people between 50 and 65 years of age, with complaints of mild cognitive decline, participated in the study. This population has an increased risk of late-onset dementia and other common conditions.
Over a 12-week period, participants were required to abstain from any type of berry consumption, except for a daily packet of powdered supplement to be mixed with water and consumed at breakfast. Half of the participants received powders that contained the equivalent of a cup of whole strawberries (the standard serving), while the other half received a placebo.
Participants were given tests that measured certain cognitive abilities, such as long-term memory. The researchers also tracked mood, intensity of depressive symptoms and metabolic data throughout the study.
Does fruit reduce the risk of dementia?
Those in the strawberry powder group had decreased memory interference, which is consistent with an overall improvement in executive ability. On the other hand, participants treated with strawberry also had a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.
Another point noted in the study suggests that strawberries may have improved cognitive function by reducing inflammation in the brain. “Executive abilities begin to decline in middle age, and excess abdominal fat, as in insulin resistance and obesity, will tend to increase inflammation, including in the brain,” explained Robert Krikorian, the professor involved in the investigation.
He continued: “Therefore, our pre-diabetic, middle-aged, overweight sample can be considered to have higher levels of inflammation that contributed to at least mild impairment of executive abilities. Thus, the beneficial effects we observed may be related to the moderation of inflammation in the strawberry group.”
