New research reveals this tiny fruit packs enormous potential to boost brain power
and even reverse memory loss
The brain benefits of blueberries seem to be catching on everywhere — except in mainstream medicine in the U.S.
Sure, the once-humble blueberry is now being considered a “superfood” due to its ability to lower your risk of cancer and heart disease. Research also shows that blueberry compounds boost the immune system and cellular defenses.
But, as I’ve been reporting over the past year, blueberries’ brain benefits are even more impressive. These tiny fruits are thought to boost blood flow, cut chronic inflammation, and improve the transmission of information among brain cells.
All of which can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. That’s why I’ve made blueberries an important part of my new Complete Alzheimer’s Cure Protocol.
Still, the mainstream medical establishment continues to ignore the compelling research on blueberries and the brain. But reports out of the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in March give me hope that may finally be changing.
As a college chemistry major, I was able to join the ACS as a student even before undergoing medical training. And I have always been impressed by the chemists’ application of real science to health and medicine.
So if anyone can convince the mainstream about blueberries’ brain benefits, maybe the ACS can. In fact, the ACS conference also debuted two very interesting studies on blueberries’ effect on cognitive impairment.
Let’s take a closer look.
There are no “magic bullets” — not even in blueberries
There’s good and bad news about the presentation on blueberries at the ACS conference.
The good news is that they discussed how blueberries can strengthen the brain’s defenses against dementia. But the bad news is that they attributed this to “a compound” in the fruit.
Of course, because modern medicine is always looking for the elusive “magic bullet,” it’s no surprise that the researchers tried to distill blueberries’ disease-fighting capabilities into a single “magic bullet” compound. But you and I know the health benefits are really due to the rich mix of all the potent phytochemicals that are naturally present in plants — especially when, like blueberries, they grow in challenging conditions (see sidebar).
So while the mainstream experts still search for this elusive single compound, we know the real solution is a whole-food extract of blueberry that has all the natural ingredients acting in synergy — as nature intended.
But if you can set the whole magic-bullet fixation aside, the blueberry studies presented at the ACS meeting did emphasize the importance of nutritional approaches in the absence of any effective drugs to fight Alzheimer’s.
A double dose of cognition
For the first study, researchers from the University of Cincinnati gathered 47 men and women, ages 68 and older, who had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (this category covers slight memory lapses that often, but not always, develop into dementia over time).2
Once a day for four months, the participants were given either a placebo powder or a powder made from freeze-dried blueberries.
(One serving of blueberry powder contained the equivalent of a small teacup of blueberries.) Before and after the study, the participants were also given a battery of cognitive and memory tests, along with brain scans…
At the end of the study, the group that took the blueberry powder had a significant improvement in cognitive function compared to the placebo group.
And here’s the really amazing part: The blueberries not only slowed or prevented memory loss — they actually reversed it.
To further test the berries’ effectiveness against cognitive impairment, the Cincinnati researchers then conducted a study on people without memory loss.
And they found that blueberries also helped boost cognition in these people as well.
Blueberries vs. gingko
This is a particularly impressive result when you consider that one of the go-to herbal remedies for memory loss, gingko, has been shown to help prevent memory deficits in people with cognitive impairment — but no herbal remedy, including gingko, has ever been shown to improve cognition in people with normal memory. That’s why a daily blueberry powder supplement is an excellent cornerstone for preventing memory loss — and even improving memory — at any point in life.
In my new Complete Alzheimer’s Cure protocol, I explain all the reasons why gingko and other so-called solutions from the “natural know-it-alls” won’t work for you when it comes to preventing and reversing memory loss. And I tell you what’s been scientifically proven to really work.
To learn more about this new protocol or to enroll today, just click here or call 1-866-747-9421 and ask for order code EOV2S9AA.
How many blueberries do you really need?
Of course, the ACS conference concluded with the tired old adage that “more research is needed.” Presenters said the minimum dose is not clear, but that eating blueberries “several times a week should be beneficial.”
I am going with the findings from all the previous studies showing that 400-500 mg of powdered blueberry extract daily is an effective dose for memory in people of all ages.
And for a truly healthy body and brain, look for products that combine this blueberry dosage with other healthy ingredients.
Of course, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t also enjoy fresh blueberries as well when they’re in season.
[SIDEBAR]
Go wild for blueberries
During the summer months, you can pick wild blueberries in New England or the upper Midwest. That’s how we harvested them when I was a child in northeast Massachusetts 50 years ago. But fortunately, you have many more options today.
I was in New England for the 4th of July holiday and, for the first time, I saw young blueberry bushes for sale in flower pots at the local supermarket. The grocer was careful to note that the young bushes must be transplanted into the ground — and the more rocky and thin the soil, the better.
That’s because wild blueberry bushes grow naturally in post-glacial terrain, which is typified by rocky earth and granite outcroppings (where the Ice Age glaciers scoured away the soil 10,000 years ago). The hardy bushes act as groundcover for the remaining thin soil. Further to the south, where there is thicker soil, other, more lush plants crowd out their hardy northern blueberry neighbors.
As we have seen from South Africa to North America, harsher growing conditions force a plant to produce more protective biochemicals in order to thrive. And, of course, the more biochemicals, the more health benefits they provide. That’s why wild blueberries have been shown in study after study to have more health properties than their conventionally cultivated cousins.
SOURCES:
[1] https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/statistics
[2] “Blueberry Fruit Supplementation in Human Cognitive Aging.” Meeting of the American Chemical Society. 2016.
[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3490334/Blueberries-stop-dementia-developing-decades-later.html