Effect of berry-based supplements and foods on cognitive function: a systematic review

Abstract

In the current decade, a growing body of evidence has proposed 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 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. In total, eleven articles were identified using frozen blueberry (n = 4 studies), blueberry concentrate (n = 2), beverage (n = 3), capsule (n = 1), extract and powder (n = 1). These studies had been performed among older people with no recognized cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The primary outcomes included global cognitive function, psychomotor function, learning and memory, working memory capacity, executive functions, and brain perfusion/activity. 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 as well as brain perfusion parameters among the elderly 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.

Effects of a polyphenol-rich grape and blueberry extract (Memophenol™) on cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

“…In recent systematic reviews examining the impact of grape ( Bird et al, 2022 ) and blueberry ( Hein et al, 2019 ) administration on cognitive performance, it was concluded that there was some evidence of efficacy. Moreover, in a systematic review of berry-based supplements and foods, it was reported that they may have beneficial effects on resting brain perfusion, cognitive function, memory performance, executive functioning, processing speed, and attention indices ( Bonyadi et al, 2022 ). However, substantial differences in the clinical trials make robust conclusions difficult.…”

Blueberries Improve Abdominal Symptoms, Well-Being and Functioning in Patients with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

“…The improved overall functioning, performance, and quality of life (OQ45.2 scores) may also be related to a reduction in the extra-GI symptoms that are prevalent in patients with FGID [ 5 ]. Several recent reviews have summarized the effects of blueberries or polyphenols in various formulations on musculoskeletal and cognitive function in different human cohorts, but effects in FGID have so far not been reported [ 13 , 15 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

Vegetables, fruits, and berries – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

“…These trials involve different study populations and may involve subjects with existing risk factors. The intake of berries or berry-based products may also have beneficial effects on cognitive function ( 56 , 57 ).…”