Oh, the Joys of Juice
Blueberry Juice Enhances Memory Function, According to Researchers
A glass of blueberry juice every day improved cognitive function in aging adults. But that's not where the health improvements stopped.
One of all time favorite things to eat—morning, midday or evening—is oatmeal with blueberries. It’s a relatively quick and easy way for me to fill up on something healthy so I can fuel my busy lifestyle. Oatmeal by its lonesome is good for you, but I never forget to add a heaping handful of blueberries to get a hefty dose of antioxidants.
And the reason why I never forget my blueberries may be because I eat so many of them (This is sort of like that joke that says “What makes fish so thin? They eat fish!”)
According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a daily dose of blueberries has an ability to enhance memory function, particularly in people showing early signs of memory loss.
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center recruited nine individuals with similar educational backgrounds (approximately 15 ½ years) to drink between six and nine milliliters of blueberry juice for every kilogram of body weight (e.g., A 150 lb person would drink about 612 milliliters of blueberry juice per day). Everyone drank his or her allotted amount for 12 weeks.
After three months, everyone exhibited signs of improved cognitive function, like memorizing words that they were unable to memorize at the beginning of the study.
The researchers were half expecting this, as past studies have revealed blueberries’ brain boosting benefits. But there were some other mental and physiological improvements that they weren’t expecting, like how there were improvements in symptoms related to depression, and lower blood-glucose levels.
Researchers think the improved blood-glucose levels likely result from how blueberries improve cognition. Future analysis will determine if there is any validity to that theory.
Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers conclude, “This initial study establishes a basis for further human research of blueberry supplementation as a preventive intervention with respect to cognitive aging.”
In less than a week, I’ve reported on three studies that link the drinking of natural fruit juice to improved health (the third will be published by editors from Natural News). If nothing else, it goes to show that the drinking of juice has its place in any healthy diet, which many people don’t believe (because of fruit juices’ high sugar content).
But as I wrote in a previous posting on juice, if you’re looking to lose weight, restrict your intake of fruit juice to one glass per day. One large glass per day will give you approximately the same amount of juice that the participants had for 12 weeks.
For example, a can of soda is what—12 fluid ounces, right? Well 12 fluid ounces is 355 milliliters when it’s converted to milliliters.
So without sacrificing your diet regimen, you can get a healthy dose of blueberry juice—or grape juice or acai berry juice or pretty much any juice, for that matter—which will do wonders for you from both a physical and mental health standpoint.
Source:
nutraingredients.com
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Posted: January 14th, 2010 under Brain Health.
Tags: blueberry concentrate, blueberry health benefits, blueberry juice, juice
