Strawberries - The Secret Weapon Against Dementia

New research into strawberry consumption has revealed some surprising findings: Eating the popular fruit daily may help reduce the risk of dementia in middle-aged adults.

Scientific studies are beginning to show that berries may also help people reduce their risk of health problems. In 2022, researchers found that adding blueberries to the daily diet of middle-aged people with insulin resistance (also known as prediabetes) may help protect them against cognitive decline.

The team has now extended this research by investigating the potential benefits of strawberries, exploring whether strawberries can improve cognitive performance – such as long-term memory and task switching – as well as metabolic health, and whether there is a link between the two.

Strawberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have been shown to improve metabolism and cognition.

“Both strawberries and blueberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins , which have been linked to many of the health benefits of berries, including improved metabolism and cognition, ” said study author Robert Krikorian. “Epidemiological data suggest that people who eat strawberries or blueberries regularly have slower rates of cognitive decline as they age.”

The study recruited 30 individuals between the ages of 50 and 65, all of whom were overweight and reported mild cognitive impairment. For two weeks before the study began, these participants were asked not to eat any berries or berry-based products.

After the 12-week study began, all received a powdered supplement mixed with water and taken with breakfast every day; half received a powder containing the equivalent of a cup of strawberries and the other half received a placebo. They also completed cognitive tests at the beginning and end of the 12 weeks, and their mood and metabolic status—insulin resistance and cholesterol levels—were monitored throughout.

Data analysis showed that those who were supplemented with strawberries had less difficulty recognizing and remembering information, and had significantly reduced symptoms of depression. Krikorian attributes this to “improved executive function, which leads to better emotional control and coping, and perhaps better problem solving.”

However, the study did not find any effects on patients' metabolic health, either positive or negative. This is in contrast to previous research suggesting that strawberries may have positive effects, although Krikorian notes that these studies used higher doses of strawberry powder.

Despite these results, researchers still believe there is a potential link between strawberries, cognitive function, and metabolic health, with one major link being inflammation.

“Executive ability begins to decline in midlife, and excess abdominal fat, such as insulin resistance and obesity, tends to increase inflammation, including in the brain, ” explains Krikorian . “Therefore, one might assume that our prediabetic, overweight, middle-aged sample had higher levels of inflammation, which contributed to at least modest declines in executive ability. Accordingly, the beneficial effects we observed may be related to the control of inflammation in the strawberry group.”

Future research would help determine whether this is the case and strengthen the cognitive results, the researchers say, with larger numbers of participants and different doses of strawberry supplementation key.

Regardless, we should still eat more strawberries because after all, they are quite delicious.

The study was published in the journal Nutrients.

Scientific studies are beginning to show that berries may also help people reduce their risk of health problems. In 2022, researchers found that adding blueberries to the daily diet of middle-aged people with insulin resistance (also known as prediabetes) may help protect them against cognitive decline.

The team has now extended this research by investigating the potential benefits of strawberries, exploring whether strawberries can improve cognitive performance – such as long-term memory and task switching – as well as metabolic health, and whether there is a link between the two.