Effect of Berry-Based Supplements and Foods on cognitive function: A Systematic Review

Abstract

In the current decade, a growing body of evidence proposes the correlation between diet and cognitive function or dementia in the ageing population. This study was designed to appraise discoveries from the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to confirm the effects of Berry-Based supplements or foods on cognitive function in older adults. PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and ProQuest as well as SID, Magiran, and Iranmedex electronic databases were explored for human interventional studies up to March 2021. A total of 259 studies were recognized from the primary database searches, and after eliminating the duplicates, 225 studies remained. Of these, 102 were disqualified after screening the title and abstracts of studies. The lasting 17 studies were evaluated in full text and 10 studies (which include 583 participants) encountered the eligibility criteria. Of the included studies, seven were randomized parallel-group (n = 7), two were crossover (n = 2) and one was the pilot study (n = 1). In total, ten articles were identified using freeze-dried blueberries (n = 3 studies), blueberry concentrate (n = 2), beverage (n = 3), capsule (n = 1), extract and powder (n = 1). These studies were directed in older people with no recognized cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The primary outcomes included episodic memory, long-term and short-term memory, working memory, executive function, psychomotor reaction time and attention. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of available clinical trials on the effects of berry-based supplements and foods on cognitive performances and brain perfusion parameters in elderlies with normal cognition or MCI. Existing evidence concludes that berry-based supplements and foods have beneficial effects on resting brain perfusion, cognitive function, memory performance, executive functioning, processing speed, and attention indices.