Wild Blueberries and Lifelong Brain Health—What the Science Shows

You try to eat well to nourish your body, but what about your brain? In general, incorporating an eating style that helps keep your brain sharp has certain characteristics: it’s low in fatty animal protein, higher in plant protein and legumes, rich in whole grains, and emphasizes healthy fats and seafood.

But primarily among the characteristics is this: a brain-healthy diet includes LOTS of produce—and the fruits most often mentioned are berries.

Lucky for us, Wild Blueberries aren’t just ordinary berries—they stand out from the crowd in terms of taste and certain nutritional qualities. You may already be aware that over the past few decades there have been many research studies on the connection between brain function and eating a diet rich in Wild Blueberries – leading them to  earn their nickname of “Brain Berries”!  And one of the best parts of all of this scientific research is that the evidence points to Wild Blueberries having brain-boosting benefits for people in all stages of life. This is important because our brains don’t stay the same through our entire lives. 

So, let’s start from the beginning.

What are the Wild Blueberry Benefits for Kids’ Brains?

The brains of children and teens grow quickly—both physically and cognitively, as both formal learning (e.g., schoolwork) and informal learning (e.g., play and life experiences) continuously challenge young peoples’ brains. Admittedly, when brains are young and healthy, it can be harder to see results in certain types of scientific research. But even so, researchers have been able to discern differences in young peoples’ cognitive function when their diets are supplemented with Wild Blueberries. 

In the five clinical studies that have been done with young children and adolescents, Wild Blueberries were found to have positive effects on memory, spatial learning, mood, and executive function (which involves decision making and switching focus). Getting kids used to eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, including Wild Blueberries, benefits their growing brains, but is also a good habit for lifetime health. Check out our kid-friendly recipes for some easy ideas.    

Can Midlife Mental Health and Cognition Benefit from a Wild Blueberry Habit?

In short, yes. By the time we reach midlife, both our bodies and our brains have been doing their work for years. Our adult brains have been busy handling diverse cognitive demands and emotional stress. And our bodies? Well, that’s when our lifestyle choices start catching up to us physically. In middle age, the close connection between body and brain is especially evident in the area of metabolic health. Poor metabolic health is characterized by a number of factors including obesity (especially abdominal obesity), unhealthy blood lipid levels, high blood pressure, high fasting glucose levels, even inflammation in the brain itself. It’s no surprise then that cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome—all of which typically begin showing up in middle age—have these factors in common, too. 

The good news is that Wild Blueberries have documented benefits against these conditions and can also provide benefits to the middle-aged brain. 

A newly published population study with middle-aged adults showed a strong association between higher consumption of anthocyanins (the blue pigments abundant in Wild Blueberries) and reduced risk of various dementias including Alzheimer’s disease. The first clinical study of cognitive effects of Wild Blueberry consumption specifically in middle-aged people was published in 2020. The volunteers were aged 40-65 and were challenged with a variety of cognitive tests after a single dose of either a placebo or a Wild Blueberry beverage. Within an 8-hour time frame the Wild Blueberry group not only performed better in certain cognitive tasks (those testing memory and attention), but they also had better blood sugar control.  

Do Wild Blueberries Help Preserve Brain Function in Older Adults?

Later in life, the brain is dealing with the physical stresses of degeneration, which is a normal part of aging and starts during middle-age. Because elderly people are at greatest risk to be affected by the negative impacts of brain aging, including neurodegenerative disease, this population has been a main focus for studies examining the neuroprotective effects of foods. The highly regarded and studied MIND diet specifically calls out berry consumption as being protective against cognitive decline with age. And as of 2019, the effects of blueberries have been studied in six clinical trials carried out with elderly people age 60-92. 

Two studies that tracked brain activity in elderly volunteers using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) revealed greater brain activity in those who consumed blueberries as compared to a placebo. Studies have also documented improvements in several specific cognitive tests (including memory tasks) in subjects who received a Wild Blueberry intervention compared to those getting a placebo. There are likely multiple mechanisms responsible for Wild Blueberry benefits on brain function in this age group, including impacts of the high level and wide variety of anthocyanins present in berries, as well as improved blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain. 

All and All, Pick Up a Wild Blueberry Habit for Your Brain.

Given what we know about Wild Blueberries and the positive impact consumption can have on brain function, it makes good sense to start eating them on the regular. A Wild Blueberry “habit” is good for brains at any age!

Brainberries: Heralding a Major Health Message

Heard about the berry-brain connection?

Strong scientific evidence continues to reinforce the connection between berries and health. It’s led some to call these high-nutrition berries “brainberries”, the latest moniker for potent berries like blueberries and strawberries that, when integrated into a daily diet, may help preserve and protect the brain as we age. The latest brain-berry research is taking us further in our understanding of a devastating problem affecting an aging population.

Listen the Bar Harbor Group member
Barabra Shukitt-Hale at the
American Chemical Society.

Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Ph.D., of the USDA, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, recently shared her contribution to this research on a podcast at the American Chemical Society. Shukitt-Hale’s research focuses on the science behind the value of eating berry fruits, and her findings, which appear in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, suggest that eating berries has beneficial effects on the brain and may help prevent age-related memory loss and other changes such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Shukitt-Hale is a valued member of the Bar Harbor Group, a group of top scientists from the U.S. and Canada that meet in Bar Harbor, Maine each year to present research into the connection between a blueberry-rich diet and disease prevention. Members have been a force behind research into Azhiemer’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, vision health and metabolic syndrome. This past fall, Shukitt-Hale presented work at the Bar Harbor Summit concerning memory and motor function and their connection with blueberries.

On the podcast, Shukitt-Hale explains that the high antioxidant benefit is what acts on the part of the brain responsible for cognitive function. Berries contain high levels of antioxidants (with their dark phyto-rich skin, wild blueberries are leaders in antioxidants). She also points out that “…berry fruits change the way neurons in the brain communicate.”  These changes in signaling, she says, can prevent inflammation in the brain, the key to preventing neuron damage that specifically affects cognitive function. While ongoing research is required to fully understand this mechanism, we are closer than ever to a major health message that could help millions.

Brain Benefits Now & Later

Reducing Alzheimer’s disease can translate into reduced health care challenges for families, lowered costs of care, and improved quality of life for millions. Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and it is the sixth leading cause of death. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the direct costs of caring for those with Alzheimer’s or other dementias to American society will total an estimated $200 billion in 2012.

Should we change our behavior based on the research of Shukkit-Hale and the recent findings from the Nurses Health Study?

We should. If you are not eating berries in your daily diet, begin. Even if we have more to understand about the mechanism behind the berry benefits, increasing our fruit and veggie intake with a focus on berries is, according to the best experts in the field, the right move. Everyone can reap benefit from berries, and bumping up your intake is easy – there’s simply no downside, and the upside can be huge.

Short-term benefits: Berries, namely the antioxidant leader wild blueberries, are considered brain food because their cognitive benefits can keep our brains working whether we are having fun or we are hard at work. Berries’ immediate brain benefits are a result of being well-rounded: they are a low GI food as well as a low calorie, high-fiber food that keeps weight and blood sugar levels in check. They also provide essential brain nutrients that support mental clarity and enhance performance in the here and now.

Long-term benefits: The most compelling evidence that connects berries and diet suggests that we could prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s by eating more. Just a serving per day provides the benefit. Even for those who are not destined to have Alzheimer’s, the most recent research indicates that a diet that includes berries may still preserve brain function as we age by preventing memory loss and loss of motor function, and it could help decrease depression.

A Serving a Day: For Your Brain Health

In the case “brainberries” more is actually better. But according to researchers, just one serving a day of wild blueberries can translate into advantages to the brain – they are that powerful. Do you know what constitutes a serving?

Q: One serving of wild blueberries is equal to:

a: 12-oz bag of berries

b. 1 cup of berries

c. ½ cup of berries

Answer: c. While the definition of a serving depends on your age and gender, just ½ cup is considered a serving size for most people. Want to do something good for your brain? Just eat ½ cup of delicious, sweet, tangy wild blueberries today.

Interested in other benefits? Get the FAQs about Blues.