Blueberries and strawberries may also slow mental decline in older women

Incredibly easy solution to mental decline

You may remember last week I told you about the potential of eating berries to avoid Parkinson’s (the disease that causes uncontrollable shaking among other symptoms). Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time, or the space, to share all the good news stemming from the same original data. So here it is today…

Increased consumption of blueberries and strawberries may also slow mental decline in older women. And not just in a small way. According to the author, increasing berry intake appears to slow memory decline by up to 2.5 years.

This is according to data from the large-scale, long-term Nurses’ Health Study. Researchers looked at the role of flavonoids in relation to memory decline in over 16,000 women.

Flavonoids are the compounds that give fruits and vegetables their color. We are only just beginning to understand exactly how much flavonoids can do for us. But we do know they are powerful antioxidants. And have anti-inflammatory properties. And both oxidative stress and inflammation are thought to be important contributors to mental decline.

Berries are particularly high in a subclass of flavonoids called anthocyanidins. Anthocyanidins have been found to cross the blood-brain barrier and localize in the hippocampus. This is an area of the brain involved in learning and memory.

And here’s the best part of the study…it only took 2 servings per week of blueberries and strawberries to see the benefit. This is right in line with what I recommend as part of my New Hamptons Health Miracle. Two to three servings of berries per week is ideal.

And don’t just focus on berries. Vegetables are also filled with beneficial flavonoids. And as I said in Monday’s Reality Health Check, the more varied your diet is, the greater the variety of flavonoids you’ll get. And you can’t go wrong with that.