Berries ‘can help stave off memory degradation’

Eating berries could be helpful in preventing older women from suffering from age-related memory degeneration, according to a new US study.

Scientists at the Brigham and Women's Hospital have found that high intake of flavonoid-rich berries – including strawberries and blueberries – can delay memory decline in older women by around two-and-a-half years.

This conclusion was formed following assessment of data from the Nurses' Health Study, a cohort of 121,700 registered nurses between the ages of 30 and 55 who completed regular health surveys beginning in 1976.

According to researchers, this is the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow progression of memory decline, while the length of time over which this research was conducted makes the conclusions more meaningful.

Elizabeth Devore, a researcher in the Channing Laboratory at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, said: "Our findings have significant public health implications, as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to reduce memory decline in older adults."

Last year, a report from the University of Pittsburgh established a key biological link between increased consumption of fish and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.