A daily helping of blueberries could improve brain and heart function

Blueberries could improve brain and heart function

BOSTON - A handful of blueberries each day could improve your brain and heart function.

UK researchers randomized 61 healthy older adults to consume 26 grams of wild blueberry powder or a placebo every day for 12 weeks and found that the participants in the blueberry group showed improved executive function, better short-term memory, and quicker reaction times. They also had improvements in blood pressure.

A compound in blueberries, found to improve blood flow, may be responsible for the enhanced brain and cardiovascular function.

Health Care

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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