If I were stranded on an island and could only have one food it would definitely be blueberries. These amazing berries not only taste delicious but are one of the top foods for boosting memory and cognitive function.

Many clinical studies have been done with blueberries to prove their effectiveness for supporting cognitive function in both the young and elderly, particularly with concentrated blueberry juice.

Below are two of the most intriguing studies I have seen in those regards.

Each study attributes the benefits to antioxidant phytochemicals known as anthocyanins, although there are many other brain supportive nutrients in blueberries.

Blueberry Juice Research

Study Title: Blueberry supplementation improves memory in older adults.

Findings: Blueberries contain anthocyanins which have been associated with increased neuronal signaling in brain centers, mediating memory function. In this study, 12 weeks of daily blueberry juice consumption improved paired associate learning and word list recall. Also, there were trends toward reduced depressive symptoms and lower glucose levels.

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20047325

Study Title: Cognitive effects following acute wild blueberry supplementation in 7- to 10-year-old children.

Findings: Using a double-blind cross-over design, on three occasions children (n = 21; 7-10 years) consumed placebo (vehicle) or blueberry drinks containing 15 or 30 g freeze-dried wild blueberry (WBB) powder. Significant WBB-related improvements included final immediate recall at 1.15 h, delayed word recognition sustained over each period, and accuracy on cognitively demanding incongruent trials in the interference task at 3 h. Importantly, across all measures, cognitive performance improved.

Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26437830

Sourcing Quality Blueberry Juice

Blueberries have many important nutrients which are heat-labile, which means that they are easily destroyed by heat, and they are also susceptible to high levels of harmful pesticides if grown conventionally. To source high quality pre-made blueberry juice or blueberry juice powder that you can mix with water, look for these important factors:

  1. Certified organic or wildcrafted
  2. Juiced from freeze-dried or fresh blueberries
  3. Low-temp processed to retain nutrients

Here’s to your brain health!