Why brain health matters
It’s fair to say that nearly everyone past the age of young adulthood is worried about their brain health. With Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s Disease-related dementias (ADRD) currently impacting 55 million people worldwide [i], it’s a legitimate worry.
This is especially true for women, who make up two—thirds of Alzheimer’s patients.
Introducing haskap berries to your daily routine
Fortunately, there is recent research that points to a step we all can take to protect our brain health, and that step is easy and delicious: add haskap berries to our diet.
Haskap berries derive their nutritional power from anthocyanins, which are the natural food compounds that give red, purple, and blue fruits and vegetables their vibrant color.
Haskap berries are one of the most potent sources of anthocyanins in nature. Here’s what you need to know about how haskap berries can benefit your brain health.
Haskap berries are backed by science
A 2019 clinical study at Reading University published in the European Journal of Nutrition looked at the impact of consuming haskap berries on mood, cognition, and blood pressure in a group of adults aged 62 – 81. [ii]
The study compared 3 doses of haskap berry extract, each with a different level of anthocyanin, against a placebo. One of the doses had 100 mg of anthocyanins, while the other doses were 200 mg and 400 mg.
Study participants who took the 200 mg and 400 mg anthocyanin doses showed improvements in word recall, while those consuming the 400 mg dose also produced improvements in word recognition scores and episodic (long-term) memory.
Consumption of the highest dose also showed reductions in blood pressure and heart rate. The improvements in all categories were significant.
And there’s more! In August 2020, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also reported a beneficial impact on brain health based on the consumption of high-anthocyanin foods. [iii]
This study looked at the dietary habits of the Framingham Offspring Study Cohort, which is a group of the children of the original members of the Framingham Heart Study, a famous long-term study of cardiovascular disease. The Offspring Cohort was established in 1970 with over 3,000 participants and completes lab testing, physical exams, and questionnaires every 4 years.
The Framingham study examined the relationship between the risk of ADRD and long-term intake of total dietary flavonoids. Flavonoids are naturally occurring pigments found in plant-based foods; anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid.
Results showed substantially lower risks of ADRD (ranging from 42% to 76% lower) among participants with the highest intake of anthocyanins and other flavonoids. [iv]
Improving your nutrition with Haskalife
Adding our Pure Haskap Berry Juice and Powder to your daily diet is a quick and tasty way to boost your consumption of these powerful anthocyanins.
As Paul Jacques, one of the Framingham study authors, said "With no effective drugs currently available for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, preventing disease through a healthy diet is an important consideration."
References
[i] https://www.alzint.org/about/dementia-facts-figures/dementia-statistics/
[ii] Bell, Lynne, and Claire M Williams. “A pilot dose-response study of the acute effects of haskap berry extract (Lonicera caerulea L.) on cognition, mood, and blood pressure in older adults.” European journal of nutrition 58,8 (2019): 3325-3334. doi:10.1007/s00394-018-1877-9
https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/view/division_years/4=5Fg2010a7c/2019.html
[iii] Shishtar, Esra et al. “Long-term dietary flavonoid intake and risk of Alzheimer disease and related dementias in the Framingham Offspring Cohort.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 112,2 (2020): 343-353. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa079
[iv] Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus. "More berries, apples and tea may have protective benefits against Alzheimer's: Study shows low intake of flavonoid-rich foods linked with higher Alzheimer's risk over 20 years." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2020. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200505121701.htm.