The arrival of the first British strawberries of the year is always a treat.
But now scientists have shown that as well as satisfying our tastebuds, they could help to ward off dementia too.
Research has revealed that the fruit can boost the speed at which older people’s brains process information.
Age-related decline in cognitive processing speed is known to be a symptom of dementia – a disease which affects nearly 900,000 in the UK.
The findings come as Britain prepares to enjoy one of its best strawberry crops in years. Shoppers have been told to expect giant berries twice the normal size after weeks of dry, sunny weather boosted growth.
This is welcome news for a country which consumes a whopping 168,000 tons a year.
Previous research has already shown that the chemicals known as flavonoids which strawberries contain can bolster heart health.
And in the latest study, a team from San Diego State University in the US recruited 35 men and women in their 70s to see if the same effects could be seen in the brain.
The scientists gave participants a freeze-dried strawberry powder, made with a handful of fresh berries, to mix in water and drink every day for eight weeks.
They then repeated the experiment with a fruit-flavoured powder which contained none of the health-boosting ingredients found in strawberries. Researchers then got the volunteers to perform cognitive tests.
They found a marked improvement in the brain’s processing speed following consumption of the strawberry powder but little change with the fruit drink.
Although there was little improvement in scores for memory tests after consuming strawberries, researchers said the change in processing capacity was significant.
Slower processing speed is known to hamper people’s driving skills and make financial decisions more difficult.
The strawberries also helped to lower blood pressure and led to increased levels of disease-fighting antioxidants in the blood, the results published in journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases showed.
The researchers said: ‘Strawberry consumption may improve cognitive function and there is accumulating support for its effects on brain health.’
