Blueberries help elderly people improve memory

　　Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Cincinnati, and the Canadian Department of Agriculture studied two groups of people over the age of 70 who had mild memory decline. elderly A 12-week study was conducted. One group of seniors drank two to two and a half cups of blueberry juice per day, while the other group drank a placebo drink. At the end of the study, the older adults who drank blueberry juice showed significant improvement in their performance on learning and memory tests, but the control group showed no change.

　　Robert Krikorian, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati who led the study, said that previous animal studies have shown that eating more blueberries can improve the memory of older animals, but few people have studied the impact of eating more blueberries on human memory.

　　The above-mentioned new research shows that eating more blueberries may be able to slow down nerve degradation. Researchers say that blueberries are rich in the polyphenolic compound anthocyanin, which is a powerful antioxidant that can protect the human body from harmful free radical damage. It can also enhance signal transmission in the brain, enhance blood vessel elasticity, and inhibit inflammation and allergies. Therefore, eating more blueberries is beneficial to the elderly. The research results have been published online in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, published by the American Chemical Society.