A new study suggests that eating strawberries every day may lower the risk of dementia.
Over 400,000 Australians are living with this condition. It is a group of symptoms that brain disorders can cause.
According to Dementia Australia, the debilitating illness can cause severe memories loss. This makes it difficult to complete everyday tasks.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati now claim that consuming this popular fruit daily could reduce the risk of developing dementia in certain middle-aged people.
The New York Post reports that in a 12-week study published last month in the journal Nutrients, 30 obese patients with mild cognitive impairments were asked to refrain from eating fruits and berries, except for one daily packet of powdered supplement mixed with water, which was consumed at breakfast.
Half of the participants aged 50-65 received a powder equivalent to one cup of strawberries whole (the standard serving size), and the other was given a placebo.
Researchers tracked participants’ mood, metabolic health, and long-term memory.
The researchers found that the group using strawberry powder performed better in a test of wordlists and showed significant improvement in depressive symptoms.
Both strawberries and blueberries are rich in antioxidants known as anthocyanins. These have been linked to a number of berry benefits, including metabolic and cognitive improvements, said Robert Krikorian. He studied the effects of blueberry intake last year.
His statement went on to say that “epidemiological data suggests that people who regularly consume blueberries or strawberries have a lower rate of cognitive decline as they age.”
Krikorian also noted that strawberries contain ellagitannins, as well as ellagic acids, which are known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, in addition to antimicrobial and anticancer.
Krikorian stated that the strawberries used in his study could have improved cognitive functions by reducing inflammation within the brain.
He explained that “executive abilities start to decline at midlife, and excess abdominal weight, such as insulin resistance or obesity, tends to increase inflammation in the brain.”
The higher levels of inflammation in our prediabetic, middle-aged sample could have contributed to a mild impairment of executive ability. The beneficial effects that we observed may be due to the moderation of inflammation within the strawberry group”.
Krikorian suggested that future research should include more participants as well as different strawberry doses.
The California Strawberry Commission funded and donated strawberry powders and placebos to the university. However, the group said it had no involvement in the study design, data analysis, or publication.