Brainy Berries

A recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistrysuggests that açai pulp is effective in protecting brain cells (neurons), and possibly in improving mental function. The study (click here to read), entitled “Anthocyanin-rich açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) fruit pulp fractions attenuate inflammatory stress signaling in mouse brain BV-2 microglial cells,” was conducted by researchers at Tufts University (Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging) and the USDA (Agricultural Research Service).

A growing body of scientific research and clinical results have shown a link between consumption of flavonoids, which are rich in berries, and various chronic health conditions such as stress, inflammation, neurological problems, and premature aging. Earlier studies (click here to read) have shown that consuming more flavonoid-rich berries can reduce cognitive decline in elderly subjects. A recent study published in the Annals of Neurology suggested brain aging is reduced up to 2.5 years in elderly who consume more flavonoid-rich berries. In the study, researchers from Harvard Medical School looked at data from over 120,000 Registered Nurses in the nearly 40-year long Nurses Health Study. Findings show that a greater intake of berry flavonoids slowed cognitive decline as well as delayed cognitive aging.

Scientists believe that many of the adverse effects of aging are caused by the “metabolic stress” of oxidative and inflammatory damage—but can be reduced, and in some cases reversed, by a diet high in flavonoids. In another recent study, researchers found that berries can enhance beneficial neurological signaling in the brain. The study (click here to read) outlined many of the general “protective” antioxidant effects of berry flavonoids, but also focused on many of the novel direct effects of these compounds on actively preventing age-related neurodegeneration and improving cognitive function. The publication reviewed the wide variety of studies showing how berry flavonoids help to mediate signaling pathways involved in inflammation and cell survival, in addition to enhancing complex brain-building processes such as neuroplasticity. The authors noted that berry-derived flavonoids are uniquely able to both cross the blood-brain-barrier as well as concentrate in brain regions involved in learning and memory (such as the hippocampus, which is particularly susceptible to stress-induced memory problems).

We have know for decades that age-related diseases of the brain compromise memory, learning, and movement and are directly linked with increases in oxidative stress and inflammation. The last few years of research have shown us that increasing our consumption of flavonoid-rich foods, such as berries, can improve physical and mental functioning as well as quality-of-life parameters as we age. These most recent studies are further expanding our understanding of the precise biochemical mechanisms by which flavonoid-rich foods can directly modulate signaling in brain cells and both prevent damage and improve function.

What this means for each of us is that consuming our berries, whether as fresh fruit or as any of our MonaVie Juices, is a “brainy” daily ritual that holds both immediate and long-term health benefits.

About the Author: Dr. Shawn Talbott is MonaVie’s VP of Research & Development. Before writing this article, he ate a handful of blueberries and drank 2 ounces of MonaVie Mx.

These studies are based on the effects of açai in animal and clinical settings and do not necessarily reflect benefits of MonaVie.