Blueberries are the ultra-trendy super food of the moment. The media loves a good blueberries-will-cure-all-your-ills story, so by now most of us know that eating blueberries is a smart thing to do. Researchers seem to announce new health benefits on a daily basis. But did you know that eating blueberries regularly can protect you from brain aging and Alzheimer´s disease?
Blueberries, particularly wild blueberries, are extremely rich in anti-oxidants.
Anti-oxidants fight damage to the immune system caused by elements called free radicals. Free radicals are rogue oxygen molecules that run amok on a cellular level, aging us and causing disease. Anti-oxidants rid the body of these unwanted free radicals, and stop the immune system from "rusting".
Anthocyanin is the main anti-oxidant found in blueberries. Anthocyanin makes blueberries blue and it gets most of the credit for protecting the brain from oxidative stress.
A stressed brain ages faster and is more susceptible to diseases like Alzheimer´s and cancer. Anti-oxidants, in removing the source of oxidative stress (the free radicals), allow brain cells to function optimally and maintain good health. Alzheimer’s disease is associated with a build-up of protein plaque cells in the brain. Scientists believe that these plaque cells result from oxidative stress. No oxidative stress, no plaque, no Alzheimer’s disease. That’s an over-simplification, but you get the picture. Eat your blueberries!
While regular consumption of blueberries can prevent you from getting Alzheimer´s in the first place, what benefit do they provide if you´ve got the disease already? Well, it turns out that blueberries can help in that instance as well. Studies have shown that eating blueberries regularly slows down the progress of Alzheimer´s disease and senile dementia. No wonder they´ve been called the "brain berry".
Eating blueberries as part of a balanced diet can also reverse brain aging and improve short-term memory. Elderly lab rats fed a blueberry-rich diet showed improvements in memory, co-ordination and balance. They out-performed their blueberry-deprived counterparts and became, biologically speaking, much younger rats. Like the rejuvenated lab animals, humans need not lose their mental and physical faculties just because they’re older.
Unfortunately, blueberries alone are not a cure-all. It’s tempting to view the handful of berries you sprinkle on your cereal in the morning as a sure-fire inoculation against disease. Perhaps your cunning plan is to have some blueberries at breakfast and then continue to eat junk food throughout the rest of the day. Nice try! Mother Nature tends to frown on those who cheat. She may not punish you, exactly, but you won’t achieve optimum health on a diet of burgers and blueberries.
Eat a nutritious, balanced diet. Fuel yourself with fruits, vegetables, healthy grains, lean meats, and plenty of blueberries. Then you’ll reap the anti-oxidant brain benefits of blueberries for many years to come.
Free radicals are foreign substances which can be obtained from exhaust and fumes, food preservatives, and carcinogenic substances such as burnt food. Although it is improbable in today’s complex life not to be exposed to these, you can otherwise counter its effects by eating fresh foods for a change. Anything green and leafy (and edible) is a source of antioxidants, as well as a wide variety of fruits – any fruit or berry will do as long as it is fresh; you might also want to put away the paring knife, as fruit skins are thick with antioxidants. This is the reason why fruit stays for so long in your kitchen table unpeeled, and practically rots within the day when skinned.