Experts have revealed that strawberries may reduce the risk of dementia and enhance the mood of people whose age and metabolic health expose them to cognitive decline.
A study, which lasted 12 weeks, found that people who were overweight in middle age as well as signs of insulin resistance, and who ate the equivalent of one cup of strawberries daily, had better memory and fewer symptoms of depression compared to others.
Neuroscientist Robert Krikorian, from the University of Cincinnati, and his team in the United States recruited 30 adults, most of them women, between the ages of 50 and 65, who suffered from cognitive impairment and were overweight.
It turned out that eating strawberry powder during the study contributed to reducing memory deterioration.
Participants who consumed strawberry powder also reported reduced symptoms of depression, indicating improvements in emotional adjustment and executive ability.
“Both strawberries and raspberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have a role in a variety of health benefits such as metabolic and cognitive improvements,” Krikorian says.
Other research on strawberries has found metabolic improvements, including decreased insulin, but this study found no metabolic effect.
“The unexpected absence of benefit with respect to metabolic function may reflect the lower dose of anthocyanins used in this study compared to other trials investigating metabolic and cognitive function,” the team wrote.
Krikorian and his team were unable to draw general conclusions from their findings due to the small sample size, short duration, and limited regulation of the participants' diet.
Aside from the potential cognitive benefits, experts generally recommend a varied and balanced diet, which can include strawberries as a great source of vitamin C, as the best way to get the vitamins, minerals and nutrients we need.
“These considerations highlight the need to further investigate the health and neurocognitive benefits associated with strawberry supplementation using different doses and larger samples,” the researchers concluded.
The study was published in Nutrients
A scientist reveals what your child's hands might hold after playing outside!
A microbiologist has shared alarming results after testing how clean children's playgrounds are.
Tim Cole, 32, from the US state of Utah, revealed how thousands of bacteria can be found lurking on children's hands after just one hour of playing in areas designated for children's entertainment.
Before visiting the stadium, Cole first tests his hand on a petri dish, before waiting 10 minutes and discovering a few bacterial colonies.
The microbiologist then shows the items the child played on, including toy rocks and wood chips.
An hour later, a little boy put his hand into another petri dish, which Tim took home and examined.
He found thousands of bacterial colonies, in addition to large patches of fungi.
“I wanted to make a video of the stadium to prove that bacteria are everywhere,” Tim said. “I expected to see a lot of bacterial growth, and I noticed a lot of it.”
Tim has conducted multiple experiments over the years.
He added: "The cleanest thing I tested that surprised me were the fuel pumps at gas stations. I thought they would be full of bacteria due to the amount of use, but I was surprised to see very little growth, as only five colonies grew."