Insights & Discussion
The consumption of avocado is associated with better cognitive function in older adults.
In the methodology, the researchers conducted a cross-sectional study involving 2,886 participants aged 60 or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2014. These participants were classified into two groups: those who consumed avocado or guacamole, and those who did not. Cognitive performance was evaluated using tests for immediate and delayed recall, the Animal Fluency test, and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, with education-dependent z-scores calculated for each participant as the education level can impact cognitive function. To control for potential influencing factors, comparisons were made between consumers and non-consumers with independent sample t-tests and advanced statistical methods like ANCOVA.
The study found that those who consumed avocado showed significantly better scores across every cognitive test and the global cognitive score compared to non-consumers. Even after adjustments for potential confounders, the positive differences persisted. These findings support the conclusion that consumption of avocado correlates positively with improved cognitive function amongst elderly adults.
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Honey exhibits multifaceted benefits for brain health, acting as a memory booster, neuroprotective agent, anti-stress, and anti-nociceptive substance, fostering potential therapeutic applications to enhance overall cognitive well-being.
2023 Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Honey on brain health: A promising brain booster Zamri NA, Ghani N, Ismail CAN, Zakaria R, Shafin N
Review Article Brain Health Cognitive Function Honey
This review scrutinizes 34 original articles exploring the impact of honey on brain health. Honey, traditionally known as a natural sweetener, emerges as a versatile substance with applications in nutrition, health supplementation, and brain health enhancement. The analysis identifies four key benefits: memory enhancement, neuroprotection, stress reduction, and pain alleviation. The review emphasizes the growing interest in understanding the mechanisms that underlie these effects, paving the way for potential therapeutic roles of honey in promoting cognitive well-being.
The literature review underscores the significant role of honey in brain health research, shedding light on its diverse benefits, including memory improvement, neuroprotection, stress mitigation, and pain relief. The emphasis on unraveling the underlying mechanisms reflects a broader interest in establishing honey's therapeutic potential for enhancing overall brain health. This comprehensive exploration of honey's effects on cognition opens avenues for developing novel therapeutic strategies harnessing honey's natural properties.
Almond consumption has beneficial impacts on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and it can improve cognitive performance and protect against skin aging.
2023 Nutrire Nutritional and health-beneficial values of almond nuts consumption Ouzir M
Review Article Almond Cognitive Function Obesity
The methodology employed in this study included analyzing a range of clinical studies centered on the health benefits linked to the consumption of sweet almond nuts. Various health outcomes correlated with almond consumption were investigated such as body weight, food intake, blood pressure, blood lipid composition, glucose and insulin levels, oxidative status, liver enzymes, and some inflammation biomarkers.
The discussion of the results reveals that almond consumption has been found to create favorable alteration in aspects like body weight, food intake, blood pressure, blood lipid composition, glucose, and insulin levels, as well as oxidative status, liver enzymes, and inflammation biomarkers. These findings highlight the beneficial impact of almonds on multiple health issues including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Additionally, the consumption of almonds has been associated with improved cognitive performance and protection against skin photodamage and aging.
Blueberry consumption significantly improves two-back test accuracy, suggesting potential cognitive benefits.
2023 CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets The Potential Effect of Blueberry on Cognitive Health and Mood State based on Human Intervention Studies: Systematic Review and Mini Meta-Analysis Soveid N, Barkhidarian B, Moradi S, Gholami F, Rasaei N, Himmerich H, et al.
Meta-Analysis Blueberry Cognitive Function
Methodology: A comprehensive search was conducted in April 2021 for relevant clinical trials on blueberry supplementation and its effects on cognitive performance and mood. The search was conducted through PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar, and the random effect size was used to estimate the pooled effect size. Cochrane Q test and I-squared tests were used to evaluate heterogeneity between studies, and a subgroup analysis was done to detect potential sources of such heterogeneity. Fourteen randomized trials were included in the quantitative analysis, and six were pooled for statistical analysis.
Results: Blueberry intervention did not produce any significant impact on mood state score, attention task reaction time, or on the percentages of attention task accuracy. Similarly, it had no significant effect on one-back test accuracy. However, a noticeable positive effect was detected in two-back test accuracy, indicating possible cognitive benefits associated with blueberry consumption.
Consumption of blueberry powder daily improves vascular function, cognitive abilities, and reduces blood pressure in healthy older individuals.
2023 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Wild blueberry (poly)phenols can improve vascular function and cognitive performance in healthy older individuals: a double-blind randomized controlled trial Wood E, Hein S, Mesnage R, Fernandes F, Abhayaratne N, Xu Y, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Blueberry Cardiovascular Disease Cognitive Function
This double-blind, parallel randomized controlled trial engaged 61 healthy older individuals aged between 65 to 80 years old. Participants were given either 26g of freeze-dried wild blueberry (WBB) powder, comprising 302 mg anthocyanins, or a similar placebo with zero mg anthocyanins. Measurements were made for endothelial function, cognitive function, arterial stiffness, blood pressure, cerebral blood flow, gut microbiome, and blood parameters, both at the start of the trial and again following 12 weeks of daily consumption. In addition, plasma and urinary polyphenol metabolites were analyzed through the use of microelution solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
In the WBB group, there was a notable increase in endothelial function and a decrease in 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure, when compared to the placebo group. Enhanced immediate recall on the auditory verbal learning task was also observed, along with better accuracy on a task-switch task following administering of WBB. Notably, the total 24-hour urinary excretion of polyphenols also significantly increased in the WBB group comparative to the control group. In contrast, there were no discernible changes in cerebral blood flow or gut microbiota composition. These findings imply that WBB polyphenols could contribute to reducing future cardiovascular disease risk in older populations, and might enhance memory processes and executive functioning in older adults at risk of cognitive decline.
Consumption of wild blueberries over six months can improve cognitive performance and speed of processing information amongst older adults.
2022 Nutritional Neuroscience Six-month intervention with wild blueberries improved speed of processing in mild cognitive decline: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Cheatham CL, Canipe LG, Millsap G, Stegall JM, Chai SC, Sheppard KW, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Blueberry Brain Health Cognitive Function
The methodology of this research involved conducting a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial where participants with cognitive issues ascertained by Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores were asked to consume wild blueberry or placebo powder daily for a 6-month period. There was also a separate reference group involved, comprised of individuals devoid of any cognitive issues. These individuals were tested at the commencement and end of the trial using the Cambridge Neurological Test Automated Battery and an electrophysiological paradigm named event-related potentials.
The results presented disclosed a significant improvement in the speed of processing information in the group consuming blueberries compared to the placebo group over the 6-month intervention period. Additionally, the speed of this group's processing was re-established to the level of the reference group, revealing the restoration of cognitive abilities. The most distinct enhancement was noted in participants aged between 75-80 years in the blueberry group.
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