Scientists discover that eating a very common fruit daily reduces the risk of dementia

In the great world of healthy eating, few delicacies can rival the freshness and charm of strawberries. These little red wonders not only conquer palates with their sweet and juicy flavor, but also They are true nutritional treasures that improve the health of those who choose them.

Nutritionally, Strawberries are a bomb of benefits. They are packed with essential antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that boost the immune system and contribute to overall well-being. The brightness of its intense red color is a sign of its richness in vitamin C. an indispensable ally that not only strengthens the immune system, but also plays a key role in the fight against cardiovascular diseases and premature aging.

Already in 2022, Professor Robert Krikorian from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and his team had carried out a investigation who found that adding blueberries to the daily diet of certain middle-aged populations could reduce the chances of developing dementia in old age.

Now a new search Krikorian states that Eating strawberries daily could reduce dementia risk in some middle-aged people . Their findings were published last month in the journal Nutrients.

“Strawberries and blueberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have been implicated in a variety of Health benefits of berries, such as metabolic and cognitive improvements ” said Krikorian, professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the UC School of Medicine in a Press release.

The study asked 30 overweight, middle-aged patients who complained of mild cognitive impairment to refrain from consuming berries of any kind for 12 weeks, except for a daily packet of berry powder supplement. strawberry mixed with water and eaten for breakfast.

Half of the participants aged 50 to 65 received powders containing the equivalent of a cup of whole strawberries (the standard serving), while the other half received a placebo. During the duration of the study, they were applied tests measuring cognitive abilities such as long-term memory, mood, intensity of depressive symptoms and metabolic data.

“This study evaluated whether strawberry consumption could improve cognitive performance and metabolic health in this population and, if so, whether there could be an association between cognitive improvement and reduction in metabolic alterations,” said Krikorian.

After 12 weeks, Those in the strawberry powder group had better results in terms of executive ability and therefore less interference in memory. “Reduced memory interference refers to reduced confusion of semantically related terms during a word list learning test,” Krikorian said.

Furthermore, strawberry powder participants saw a significant reduction in depressive symptoms which can be understood as better emotional control and coping and “perhaps” better problem solving, thus improving your executive ability.

Executive ability refers to a set of cognitive skills and mental processes fundamental to planning, organizing, initiative, self-regulation, decision-making, and problem-solving. These skills are essential for functioning effectively in various areas of life, such as work, education, and daily activities.

Patients with excess abdominal fat, as occurs with insulin resistance and obesity, tend to increase inflammation in the body, including in the brain, which could reduce executive ability of somebody.

According to Krikorian, Strawberry treatment may have improved patients’ cognitive function by reducing brain inflammation: “Our middle-aged, overweight, prediabetic sample could be considered to have higher levels of inflammation that contributed to at least mild impairment in executive skills. “Therefore, the beneficial effects we observed could be related to the moderation of inflammation in the strawberry group.”

Other studies on strawberries have shown that consuming them leads to improved metabolic measures, including decreased insulin. However, this study found no effect on patients’ metabolic health, Among the reasons, they suggest that these studies generally use higher doses of strawberries than those used in this study.

In the future, Krikorian said research trials should include larger samples of participants and different doses of strawberry supplements.