A dementia study that followed 16,010 women for decades found one clear eating pattern tied to slower memory decline. The 2012 Annals of Neurology paper pointed to blueberries and strawberries as the standout foods. Years later, it’s still at the forefront of dementia research.
What Did the Study Find About Blueberries?
The 2012 paper found that women aged 70 and older who ate more blueberries and strawberries showed a slower rate of cognitive decline than peers with the lowest berry intakes. The Nurses’ Health Study tracked 16,010 women, using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire every four years starting in 1980.
Cognitive function was measured through telephone interviews between 1995 and 2001, with follow-up assessments conducted twice at two-year intervals. Researchers averaged dietary data from 1980 through the initial cognitive interview to estimate long-term intake. Greater intakes of blueberries and strawberries were tied to slower decline across cognitive tests, even after adjusting for multiple potential confounders, according to the Annals of Neurology.
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How Much Did Blueberries Slow Cognitive Decline in the Study?
Higher berry intake appeared to delay cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years compared with women who rarely ate berries. Women who ate at least one serving of blueberries per week had a mean difference in global cognitive decline of 0.04 standard units (95 percent CI 0.01, 0.07) compared with those who ate less than one serving per month, the Annals of Neurology reported.
For strawberries, women eating two or more servings per week showed a mean difference of 0.04 standard units in the global score over those eating fewer than one serving weekly. Researchers noted that one year of age in the population was tied to a mean decline of 0.02 standard units, which is how they translated the differences into years of cognitive aging.
Why Do Blueberries Help Protect Against Dementia and Memory Loss?
Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, powerful antioxidant compounds that appear to help protect brain cells and reduce inflammation linked to cognitive decline. These pigments give blueberries their color and shield the plant from UV radiation and harmful microorganisms.
Mary Ann Lila, a professor at North Carolina State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute, told AARP, “It is the flavonoids, particularly the anthocyanin pigments, which are most potent for brain health.” Researchers writing in the Annals of Neurology found that greater anthocyanidin intake was independently linked to slower global cognitive decline, with a p-trend of 0.015 for the global cognitive score in analyses adjusting for multiple confounders.
How Many Blueberries or Strawberries Should You Eat for Brain Health?
Data from the Annals of Neurology cohort suggests benefits at roughly one or more servings of blueberries per week and two or more servings of strawberries per week. Blueberries and strawberries were the top dietary sources of anthocyanidins in the cohort, while tea, apples and oranges contributed most of the other flavonoid subclasses. Together, tea, apples, oranges, berries and onions accounted for more than 80 percent of between-person variation in total flavonoid consumption in the study group. Researchers generally recommend eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables rather than relying on any single food to support memory as people age.
How Does Other Research Support the Dementia and Blueberries Link?
Additional studies have echoed the Annals of Neurology findings on berries and brain health. A 2020 paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition tracked 2,800 dementia-free adults with an average age of 59, and after 20 years those with the highest flavonoid intake were about 40 percent less likely to develop dementia, Harvard Health reported.
Separate University of Cincinnati research from 2022 found that adults aged 50 to 65 with prediabetes and mild memory decline performed better on executive function tests after 12 weeks of daily blueberry powder. A companion strawberry study reported similar cognitive and mood improvements in a comparable group.
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