Miracle’ Fruit Could Help Improve Memory and Ward Off Dementia, new study says

By Jill Dando News 

Meet the latest superfood that could be a boost against dementia – the humble cranberry. 

Adding the miracle fruit to diets could help improve memory and brain function, and lower ‘bad’ cholesterol—according to new research.

A new study from the University of East Anglia highlights the neuroprotective potential of cranberries.

The research team studied the benefits of consuming the equivalent of a cup of cranberries a day among 50 to 80-year-olds.

They hope that their findings could have implications for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.

“Dementia is expected to affect around 152 million people by 2050. There is no known cure, so it is crucial that we seek modifiable lifestyle interventions, such as diet, that could help lessen disease risk and burden,” lead researcher Dr David Vauzour, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said.

“Past studies have shown that higher dietary flavonoid intake is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and dementia. And foods rich in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, which give berries their red, blue, or purple colour, have been found to improve cognition.

The study is one of the first to examine cranberries and their long-term impact on cognition and brain health in humans.

The results showed that consuming cranberries significantly improved the participants’ memory of everyday events (visual episodic memory), neural functioning, and delivery of blood to the brain (brain perfusion).

“We found that the participants who consumed the cranberry powder showed significantly improved episodic memory performance in combination with improved circulation of essential nutrients such as oxygen and glucose to important parts of the brain that support cognition—specifically memory consolidation and retrieval,” Dr Vauzour said.

(picture by .Irita Antonevica via pixels.com)

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