The consumption of these fruits, available in supermarkets, is beneficial for intellectual abilities according to a study.
Fruits are good for health and some are even good for intellectual abilities. This is in any case the result of a recent study published in Nutrients. Participants ate half a cup of this fruit per day for 12 weeks and it resulted in an improvement in their learning abilities, memory as well as executive functions, such as decision-making, planning, organization. .. Participants also experienced lower insulin levels, signifying effective carbohydrate processing.
These fruits are rich in antioxidants and particularly anthocyanins, which may explain such results. This antioxidant, in fact, promotes energy production at the cellular level. Flavonoids, on the other hand, protect the brain from free radical damage, which causes premature cell aging.
Thus, with these fruits, it is possible to strengthen mental performance while preventing neurodegenerative diseases. However, the annual consumption of this fruit in France is not very high. In 2020, it only rose to 207 g per inhabitant over the year, or two to four times less than in neighboring countries. In fact, only 11% of the French eat it.
You can find this fruit everywhere: it’s the blueberry. “We observed better performance for the blueberry group on measures of lexical access and memory interference, and blueberry-treated participants reported reduced memory encoding difficulties in activities of daily living “, write the authors of the study. This suggests that “continuous blueberry supplementation may contribute to protection against cognitive decline when implemented early.” They are, in addition, rich in vitamin K and C and contain potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
Obviously, it is not a miracle fruit that fixes everything. It should be accompanied by a healthy diet and exercise to reduce age-related cognitive decline. Blueberries are one of the flagship fruits in supermarkets in the summer, especially from July to September, but they can be found all year round, in all stores, in the frozen foods section. Fresh, they can be kept for about a week in the refrigerator. The price is generally between 2 and 4 euros per 125g tray.