Get Easy Health Digest™ in your inbox and don’t miss a thing when you subscribe today. Plus, get the free bonus report, Mother Nature’s Tips, Tricks and Remedies for Cholesterol, Blood Pressure & Blood Sugar as my way of saying welcome to the community!
Fuel and grow your brain with blueberries
The older you get, the smaller your brain gets…
And your memory and cognitive abilities tend to shrink along with it.
That is, unless, you do something to stop this age-related brain shrinkage…
Because truth be told, brain shrinkage doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of aging. There are simple ways you can preserve your brain volume and prevent this decline before you find yourself losing your mind, memory and independence.
Exercise, for example, is one scientifically proven way to prevent (or even reverse) age-related brain shrinkage. It’s simple, free, and extremely effective, so it should be your first line of defense against a shrinking brain.
But wouldn’t it be nice to know there’s something straightforward that would help?
You’re in luck because there’s a brain-boosting juice that could enhance your memory and improve your cognitive function in as little as 12 weeks!
Brain-boosting blueberry juice saves you from cognitive decline
It turns out that drinking concentrated blueberry juice substantially improves brain function in older adults. How about a tall glass after your next workout?
Researchers from the University of Exeter studied 26 healthy adults between the ages of 65 and 77. About half of these adults received 30 ml of concentrated blueberry juice every day, while the other half received a placebo.
After just 12 weeks, the group that received the blueberry juice experienced:
- Significant increases in brain activity (especially in areas associated with healthy cognitive function)
- Improvements in working (short-term) memory
- Increased blood flow to the brain
This is great news for aspiring brain boosters and blueberry-lovers alike. But why does blueberry juice have such a powerful impact on the brain?
Well, it all comes down to the anti-inflammatory effects of flavonoids. Flavonoids are plant compounds that act as antioxidants in your body, reducing inflammation and fighting disease-causing free radicals.
Blueberries, along with many other fruits and vegetables, are chock-full of flavonoids… which means the more you eat (or drink) the more disease-fighting flavonoid power you’re getting.
Fueling your brain with blueberries
If you’re ready to start fueling your brain with blueberry juice, you can find a bottle of high-quality, pure blueberry juice at most health food stores. Just check the label to make sure it’s not mixed with other juices (like apple juice), or you’ll end up watering down the benefits and drinking a lot of excess sugar.
You can also make blueberry juice at home if you have your own juicer. Throw in some greens and strawberries (or your other favorite fruits and veggies) to give your body an even greater nutritional boost.
Now this probably is not the first time you’ve heard of a fruit juice that’s an amazing brain juice. Pomegranate juice contains polyphenols that can cut down on the inflammation in your body that damages cells and neurons, accelerates dementia and destroys the brain’s ability to store memories.
But it’s great to have a choice, right? And one reason you may want to choose blueberries is that pomegranates are higher in fat, calories and carbohydrates. Blueberries are also a better source of vitamins C and D.
Of course, if drinking blueberries doesn’t appeal to you as much as eating them, you can get the same awesome brain benefits from snacking on blueberries daily too. In the study, participants drank 30 ml of blueberry juice per day, equal to eating 230 grams or about a cup and a half of blueberries per day.
Editor’s note: While you’re doing all the right things to protect your brain as you age, make sure you don’t make the mistake 38 million Americans do every day — by taking a drug that robs them of an essential brain nutrient! Click here to discover the truth about the Cholesterol Super-Brain!
Sources:
-
“Blueberry concentrate improves brain function in older people.” MedicalXpress. https://medicalxpress.com. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
-
L. Bowtell, et al. “Enhanced task related brain activation and resting perfusion in healthy older adults after chronic blueberry supplementation.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2017.