Natural Society | November 17 2012
Good news for berry lovers! New research suggests that consuming a handful of berries a week will delay age-related memory loss for up to 2 1/2 years. The study, conducted by Elizabeth Devore, Sc.D and her team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, has yielded results that definitively identify berries, such as blueberries and strawberries, as a delicious preventative measure to be taken against declining cognitive function.
The study tracked the berry-consumption habits of over 16,000 women from 1980-1995, administering a questionnaire every four years. From 1995-2001, cognitive function was tested every two years with a phone interview, during which the participant would be asked to recall details of a paragraph or a list of numbers or words that had been read to them. After adjusting for the positive health effects of income level and frequency of exercise, the results were clear. Women who had consumed a small amount of berries each week, a half a cup of blueberries or one cup of strawberries, experienced a slower rate of mental decline, with the delay of cognitive decline averaging out to approximately two and a half years. Women who did not consume the small amount of berries didn’t see the same benefits.