Study associates blueberry juice with better memory

January 21, 2010 5:14 PM EST

If the unthinkable happens during Tuesday night's State of the Union address, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will assume the role of President of the United States. Moniz, the 12th person in the line of succession for the Oval Office, will be protected by Secret Service agents at an undisclosed location as the so-called "designated survivor" while President Barack Obama delivers his address to Congress. Meanwhile, the vice president, members of the Cabinet, Supreme Court justices and others will gather at the Capitol to listen to the president's annual address. The nuclear physicist was a longtime faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before he was sworn in on May 21, 2013. Moniz is no stranger to the federal government or the White House, having served as under secretary of the Department of Energy and White House staffer during the Clinton administration. He's better liked inside the administration than his predecessor—and last year's designated survivor—Steven Chu, who was considered by some administration officials to be a political loose cannon. Moniz is probably best known for his hair styling, which has led to comparisons with Oscar Wilde and Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men. The idea of having a designated survivor originated during the Cold War over fears of a nuclear attack wiping out the country's political and military leadership. Traditionally a lower-level Cabinet officer is selected, so that high-profile members will be seen in audience shots during the president's address. The role took on a more serious note after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with tightened security and secrecy.Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is tonight's 'designated survivor'

It’s hard to find fresh blueberries this time of year, but you might consider buying blueberry juice, particularly if you’re having chronic trouble remembering where you put the car keys. According to a small new study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, drinking blueberry juice can actually improve your memory.

The study included just 16 participants, average age 78, who were recruited in the Cincinnati area. Nine volunteers were asked to drink about two cups of blueberry juice every day for 12 weeks. While all participants experienced age-related cognitive problems, the blueberry-juice drinkers showed significantly better performance on two memory tests than a control group of seven participants who drank a sweet placebo beverage that contained no juice. What’s more, the juice drinkers’ test scores had improved by the end of the 12 weeks. In case you were wondering, all that juice also didn’t make them fatter.

The study, the first of its kind, is provocative because we still have no cure for dementia or other age-related memory problems that will plague millions of Baby Boomers as they get older. Consuming blueberry juice may be a way to prevent or delay the onset of such problems; past animal studies have also associated the berries with better memory. Blueberries are packed with antioxidants like anthocyanins that help counter inflammation, which research suggests contributes to Alzheimer’s disease. Anthocyanins have also been associated with increased neuronal signaling in the brain, according to the new paper, which may help explain why the blueberry-juice drinkers were able to improve their memory scores.

One caveat: Although the study was conducted independently at the University of Cincinnati and received National Institutes of Health funding, it was also partly funded by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, a trade group that no doubt would be very happy if you decided to buy blueberry juice as a result of the study.

Whether or not blueberry juice can actually help keep your mind sharp, doctors and nutritionists agree that blueberries are an all-around good-for-you food. They’re packed with antioxidants, phytoflavinoids, potassium and vitamin C, and studies show they can lower your risk of heart disease and cancer. — By John Cloud

Can blueberry juice boost your memory?

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