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What to Know About the Connection Between Blueberries and Memory
Two new reviews suggest blueberries are great for cognition. Does that mean they’re this year’s superfruit?
Blueberries are fascinating to scientists. In humans, the berries have been shown to lower blood pressure and help kids perform better on cognitive tests. In rats, there’s evidence the fruit improves working memory and helps the animals balance. It seems the simple berry has a lot to offer the brain.
Two recently published systematic reviews — summaries of already conducted research — support that theory. Both studies found that the overall scientific literature suggests that eating blueberries can improve overall cognitive performance and help elevate mood.
Wolfgang Marx, a nutrition researcher at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia, who co-authored one of the reviews published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, says blueberries are receiving a lot of research attention because they are a rich source of micronutrients, and epidemiological studies from the last decade have found that eating flavonoid-rich foods can improve cognitive decline.
As part of the review, Marx and colleagues identified 12 studies — all randomized control trials, considered the gold standard in…
