Berries Benefit “Graying America”

As the largest generation in the history of the U.S. begins their collective retirement, the so-called Graying of America continues.  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, elderly Americans—those 65 years of age and older—increased by 15% between 2000 and 2010; this is essentially one and a half times as fast as the total U.S. population, which saw a 9.7% increase during this same decade.

The resulting anti-aging revolution has prompted the research, discovery and development of various nutrient compounds to preserve body and mind. Among these, flavonoids, found in plants, possess powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Experts have come to believe that stress and inflammation contribute to cognitive impairment and that increasing consumption of flavonoids could mitigate the harmful effects.

Previous studies of the positive effects of flavonoids—particularly a subset known as anthocyanidins—are limited to animal models or very small trials in older persons. Thanks to a comprehensive research project known as the Nurses’ Health Study—a  collaboration of 121,700 female, registered nurses between the ages of 30 and 55 who completed health and lifestyle questionnaires beginning in 1976–there exists a study with a few more numbers on its side.

Since 1980, participants were surveyed every four years regarding their frequency of food consumption. Between 1995 and 2001, cognitive function was measured in 16,010 subjects over the age of 70 at two year intervals—in the present study, the women’s average age was 74.

Findings show that increased consumption of blueberries and strawberries appeared to slow cognitive decline in this population. A greater intake of anthocyanidins and total flavonoids was also associated with reduce cognitive degeneration. The authors caution that while they did control for other health factors in the modeling, they cannot rule out the possibility that the preserved cognition in those who ate more berries may be also influenced by other lifestyle choices, such as exercising more.

“We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow progression of cognitive decline in elderly women,” notes Dr. Elizabeth Devore with Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard, who headed the study. “Our findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection in older adults.”