Italian strawberries may have a new claim to fame apart from being delicious and widely used in Italian cuisine. Some American researchers have discovered the preventive capabilities of a fruit, very widespread in Italy, against senile dementia. In a recent study conducted by the University of Cincinnati (USA), published in Nutrients, it was found that strawberries could play a significant role in reducing the risk of dementia.
The study involved 30 patients, including overweight, middle-aged men and women with insulin resistance and subjective cognitive decline. For 12 weeks, participants received a daily dose of whole strawberry powder. The results showed that daily supplementation with 13 g of this natural supplement reduced memory interference and depressive symptoms. This observation is based on epidemiological data that suggests that regular consumption of strawberries (or blueberries) is associated with a slowing of age-related cognitive decline.
“Reduced memory interference refers to less confusion of semantically related terms in a word list learning test,” says Professor Robert Krikorian, who led the study. “This phenomenon is generally thought to reflect improved executive control in terms of resistance to the intrusion of non-target words during memory tests.”
The researchers also noted a significant decrease in depressive symptoms and better problem-solving skills in participants who took the strawberry powder.
While the study opens new avenues in understanding the link between diet and brain health, further research is needed to confirm and deepen the findings. However, the prospect that regular consumption of strawberries and berries could help reduce the risk of dementia in later life is attractive. This is especially significant for Italians, given that strawberries are practically a zero km food, with Italy being the 4th in Europe for the production of strawberries and 14th in the world.
In Italy, senile dementia affects around 900 thousand people, with 600 thousand suffering from Alzheimer’s. The growing concern for public health has led to increased research on finding effective treatments and preventive measures. The discovery of the preventive capabilities of strawberries could have a significant impact on the efforts to reduce the risk of dementia in the population.
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