Blueberries: Berry Good For the Brain

Blueberries: Berry Good For the Brain

Boost your mental muscle with these delicious berries

by Kelley Herring

Enjoying a basket of blueberries just may help to boost your memory thanks to potent antioxidants called anthocyanins.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture, researchers discovered that anthocyanin extracts helped combat oxidative stress and DNA damage, two processes that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, aging and cancer.

Another recent study conducted at the National Institute of Aging found that diets including spinach, strawberries or blueberries, (which are nutritional sources of antioxidants) reverse age-related declines.

Don't save blueberries for a special occasion. Stock up on the frozen variety of these brain boosters available year-round and mix them into smoothies, serve with yogurt, or add to salads.

Boost Antioxidants by Up to 467% by Cooking This Way

Did you know that the way you cook your food is just as important as the foods you eat? It’s true! Certain cooking methods create harmful free radicals, destroy vital nutrients and even raise cancer risk. Other cooking methods can actually increase the antioxidant power of certain foods.

In Smart Cooks Age Better, you’ll learn the best ways to cook specific foods, including how you can boost nutrients up to 467% with a simple cooking method.

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Bickford PC, Gould T, Briederick L, Chadman K, Pollock A, Young D, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph J Antioxidant-rich diets improve cerebellar physiology and motor learning in aged rats Brain Res 2000 Jun 2;866(1-2):211. Ghosh, D., McGhie, T. K., Zhang, J., Adaim, A., Skinner, M.,Effects of anthocyanins and other phenolics of boysenberry and blackcurrant as inhibitors of oxidative stress and damage to cellular DNA in SH-SY5Y and HL-60 cells. Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture 2006 January

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