Nineteen-month-old rats on a blueberry-rich diet
(equivalent to one cup per day for humans) were more skillful at
navigating their way through a maze than rats that were not fed
blueberries. It seems that blueberries promote neurogenesis,
the growth of neurons. To track the production of new neurons,
researchers injected dye into the rats, and after only a week they
found evidence of neurogenesis in the hippocampus,
the part of the brain that controls memory, learning, and thought. No
change occurred in the production of neurons in the control group rats
(the ones not fed blueberries). Scientists believe that the beneficial
effects of blueberry consumption in rats were perhaps due to the
blueberries’ anthocyanin dyes, which are chemicals that can cross the blood-brain barrier and trigger neurogenesis
(unlike Congo red dye, another chemical that has been used to treat HD
in mice by preventing the buildup of huntingtin
protein in the brain).
A University of Maine nutritionist recently found
another advantage of eating blueberries. Wild blueberries may relax
blood vessels, preventing increased blood pressure that can lead to
cardiovascular disease, stroke, and many other complications. In the
University of Maine study, researchers fed rats a diet of wild
blueberries and then injected the animals with a stress hormone. The
rats on the blueberry diet exhibited less arterial force in response to
the stress hormone, indicating that their arteries were more relaxed.
This finding may also have an impact on
Huntington’s disease. Blueberries work their artery-relaxing magic by
making nitric acid readily available in the body.
Maintaining an adequate nitric acid concentration helps keep arteries
supple in order for sufficient blood flow. Therefore, since HD patients
are known to have decreased blood flow to the brain, consuming
blueberries on a daily basis may increase blood flow and thus have a
beneficial effect.
An educational product of HOPES, not to be used in place of medical care. For more information about HOPES, click on the Logo.
To contact HOPES with comments or questions, click here.
