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[Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>]

Blueberries Reverse Certain Aging Characteristics

Forget Viagra. Forget red wine. Anyone seeking to really feel young again 
should try blueberries, research on rats suggests. Old rats fed the 
equivalent of a cup of blueberries a day not only were more coordinated, but 
were smarter than other old rats. Researchers are now working to find out 
just what it is in blueberries that repairs the damage ageing does to the 
brain. In the meantime, they are eating blueberries themselves. Researchers 
found that rats fed spinach and strawberries learned better than rats on a 
standard diet. Then they threw a blueberry extract into the diet. The rats 
who got the supplement not only learned faster than other rats, but their 
motor skills improved. There were a lot of changes in neuronal communication 
- the ability of one neuron to communicate with one another, but what struck 
the researchers was the ability to change motor behavior. There is virtually 
nothing out there that can change motor behavior in ageing. But the 
blueberries did. The rats were 19 months old, they are the equivalent of 60 
to 65 years of age and the researchers feed them for two months so they're up 
to 70-75. The blueberry fed rats did better on standard rat tests, like 
making them swim in a water maze, or find an underwater platform in murky 
water. But they also did better on tests involving a spinning rod or an 
inclined rod - good tests of coordination. Young rats six months old could 
stay on a rod an average of 14 seconds. Old rats fell off after six seconds, 
but the blueberry-supplemented old rats could stay on for 10. The blueberries 
did not make the rats young again, but did improve their skills considerably. 
When the rats' brains were examined, the brain cells of the rats that got the 
blueberries communicated better. The researchers are doing tests to see what 
compounds in the blueberries are responsible for the effects. Other 
scientists have found that the components that give fruits and vegetables 
their color - such as the lycopene that makes tomatoes red - are associated 
with health-giving effects. One of things they might be doing is to protect 
against oxidative stress. Oxidation occurs all the time in the body and is 
cell damage created by charged particles known as free radicals. They also 
may reduce inflammation. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, 
which range from the resveratrol found in red wine, the anthocyanins that 
make strawberries red and blueberries blue, and the vitamins A, C and E. 
Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been shown to reduce the risk of 
heart disease and cancer. The rats ate supplements made from blueberry juice, 
but the researchers think the whole fruit may confer even more benefits.  You 
can't overdose on blueberries.

Journal of Neuroscience September 1999