Blueberries and the Brain

Blueberries and the Brain
Parents didn't know just how smart they were when they urged children down through the years to eat their fruits and vegetables. Hidden away in the various fruits and vegetables that are so abundant at this time of year are more than just vitamins, minerals and fibre. There are also polyphenolics, a range of compounds that, because of their antioxidant properties, protect the body against the impact of aging.
Human aging is like automobile rusting. Over time, oxygen interacts with chemicals in the body in a process called oxidation. The many biomolecules in the cells of our bodies are damaged by oxidation, just like the metal in our cars oxidizes, rusts, and degrades.
Oxidative damage to the DNA, lipids, enzymes and other cellular components in our bodies leads to various degenerative diseases and is at the heart of the aging process itself.
However, dietary antioxidants, like the polyphenolics found in blueberries, appear to slow down aging by providing protection against oxidative damage. Since blueberries have a very high antioxidant capacity compared to many fruits and vegetables, excitement has been building around the health properties of blueberries. Studies have shown that half a cup of blueberries can produce noticeable changes in antioxidant capacity in the blood, which peak roughly two hours after consumption.
This fall, food chemist Dr. Willy Kalt will continue to focus her research on antioxidant-rich blueberries and to determine how the polyphenolics in these fruit can protect against the body's natural aging process and against certain degenerative diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer's Disease. Kalt was invited to a blueberry health research symposium in Bar Harbour, Maine, this summer to talk about her recent research with the University of Prince Edward Island that looked at the damage to neurons after stroke in rats fed a diet high in blueberries.
"After stroke was induced under anesthetic, the damage to neurons in the brains of the rats fed a high blueberry diet was significantly less than in the rats not receiving blueberries" said Kalt.
These findings also support studies at the Center for Human Nutrition and Aging at Tufts University in the United States that indicated that a diet rich in antioxidants can reduce the effects of brain aging. Researchers from Tufts University showed that rats fed a diet high in antioxidants appeared to have better memory and improved motor skills compared to their counterparts who received a normal diet. Elderly rats fed blueberry diets even recovered some memory and motor abilities lost as a result of normal brain aging.
Also this fall, Dr. Kalt will be focusing on which specific types of polyphenolics in blueberries can protect against the body's natural aging process and in particular, brain aging. Kalt added that future studies will include how the polyphenolics get into the blood, how they are metabolized and how the compounds can be isolated and used in drugs. Other studies indicate that, like cranberries, blueberries protect the urinary tract against urinary tract infections.
"Typically the deeper the colour in the fruit or vegetable the more antioxidants are present and the greater the beneficial impact."