KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- A newly released study shows eating blueberries may protect human brain performance and reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, North Carolina Research Campus officials have announced.
Parkinson’s disease is the 14th leading cause of death in the country, affecting about 1 million people, according to the National Parkinson Foundation.
In the recent study, a team of scientists from Purdue University, North Carolina State University and Rutgers University investigated whether extracts from blueberries, grape seed, hibiscus, blackcurrant and Chinese mulberry – all rich in health-promoting phytochemicals – would suppress cell death caused by Parkinson’s.
Recently published in the scientific journal Brain Research, the findings indicate that two specific classes of phytochemicals – anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, naturally occurring plant compounds prevalent in some fruits and vegetables – are effective against the neurodegeneration, or loss of nerve cell function in the brain, brought on by Parkinson’s.
People are also reading…
Dr. Mary Ann Lila, blueberry researcher and director of North Carolina State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI), located at the Research Campus in Kannapolis, is part of the team of that conducted the research.
“[Blueberries] can have synergistic benefits that surpass many other fruits when it comes to protection against brain cell death, which in turn may reduce the risk of contracting Parkinson’s,” she said in a statement.
Blueberry extracts rich in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins were shown to alleviate neurodegeneration by stimulating cells’ mitochondria, which act like a digestive system within the cell, taking in nutrients, breaking them down and creating energy that helps cells survive.
Lila said she is encouraged by the findings and hopes to continue connecting the dots between berries and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease.
“The study suggests blueberries can contribute to prevention of the onset of neurodegeneration, a hallmark of Parkinson’s, which is an extremely encouraging outcome,” she said.
North Carolina is ranked seventh in the country for blueberry production, having harvested 40.5 million pounds, or nearly 9 percent of the country’s blueberry crop, in 2012.
