美国和加拿大研究人员20日发表的报告说，多吃富含花青素的蓝莓可以帮助老年人提高记忆力。
美国农业部、辛辛那提大学以及加拿大农业部的研究人员对两组70岁以上、记忆力轻微下降的老年人进行了为期12周的研究。其中一组老年人每天饮用两杯到两杯半蓝莓果汁，另一组饮用安慰剂饮料。研究结束后，饮用蓝莓果汁的老年人在学习和记忆力测试中的表现明显得到改善，但对照组却没有变化。
负责这项研究的辛辛那提大学副教授罗伯特克里科里安说，此前已有动物研究显示，多吃蓝莓可促进老年动物的记忆力，但鲜有人研究多吃蓝莓对人类记忆力的影响。上述新研究则表明，多吃蓝莓或许可以减缓神经退化。
研究人员说，蓝莓富含多酚类化合物花青素，后者是一种强有力的抗氧化剂，能保护人体免受有害物质自由基的损伤，还可以增强大脑中的信号传递能力，增强血管弹性，抑制炎症和过敏，因此多吃蓝莓对老年人有益。
这项研究成果已发表在美国化学学会出版的《农业化学与食品化学杂志》网络版上。
推荐原始出处：
J. Agric. Food Chem., Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/jf9029332
Blueberry Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults
Robert Krikorian*§, Marcelle D. Shidler§, Tiffany A. Nash§, Wilhelmina Kalt#, Melinda R. Vinqvist-Tymchuk#, Barbara Shukitt-Hale and James A. Joseph
§ Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, P.O. Box 670559, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0559
# Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, AFHRC, 32 Main Street, Kentville, Nova Scotia, B4N1J5 Canada
USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111-1524
The prevalence of dementia is increasing with expansion of the older adult population. In the absence of effective therapy, preventive approaches are essential to address this public health problem. Blueberries contain polyphenolic compounds, most prominently anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, anthocyanins have been associated with increased neuronal signaling in brain centers, mediating memory function as well as improved glucose disposal, benefits that would be expected to mitigate neurodegeneration. This study investigated the effects of daily consumption of wild blueberry juice in a sample of nine older adults with early memory changes. At 12 weeks, improved paired associate learning (p = 0.009) and word list recall (p = 0.04) were observed. In addition, there were trends suggesting reduced depressive symptoms (p = 0.08) and lower glucose levels (p = 0.10). We also compared the memory performances of the blueberry subjects with a demographically matched sample who consumed a berry placebo beverage in a companion trial of identical design and observed comparable results for paired associate learning. The findings of this preliminary study suggest that moderate-term blueberry supplementation can confer neurocognitive benefit and establish a basis for more comprehensive human trials to study preventive potential and neuronal mechanisms.
