Ann Neurol.：多吃浆果可延缓大脑衰退

美国一项研究发现，多吃蓝莓、草莓等富含类黄酮浆果的女性大脑智力衰退较慢。
 
这项研究从1976年开始，历时25年，以1.6万名美国女性为对象，论文由最新一期美国《神经病学年鉴》发表。
 
研究对象定期就饮食习惯填写问卷，1995年至2001年每两年接受一次大脑功能测试。结果显示，多吃浆果的女性在智力衰退方面平均延缓两年半。
 
“我们提供了第一手证据，浆果似乎可以延缓老年女性的认知功能衰退，”美国哈佛布莱根妇女医院医生伊丽莎白·德沃尔在论文中写道，“我们的发现有重要公共健康意义，以多吃浆果这样一种调整饮食的简单方式就可以保护老年人认知能力。”
 
随着美国人口结构老龄化，老年人智力衰退趋势上升，延缓大脑机能自然衰退显得尤为重要。
 
没有参与这项研究的纽约莱诺克斯希尔医院内科专家罗伯特·格拉汉姆告诉法新社记者，多吃浆果其实对所有年龄段的人都有益。“大量研究表明，浆果有良好的抗氧化能力，对有所人群都有益，在抗认知老化方面效用尤为明显。”

doi: 10.1002/ana.23594
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Dietary intakes of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline

Devore, Elizabeth E.; Kang, Jae Hee; Breteler, Monique M. B.; Grodstein, Francine

bjective: Berries are high in flavonoids, especially anthocyanidins, and improve cognition in experimental studies. We prospectively evaluated whether greater long-term intakes of berries and flavonoids are associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in older women. Methods: Beginning in 1980, a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was administered every 4 years to Nurses' Health Study participants. In 1995–2001, we began measuring cognitive function in 16,010 participants, aged ≥70 years; follow-up assessments were conducted twice, at 2-year intervals. To ascertain long-term diet, we averaged dietary variables from 1980 through the initial cognitive interview. Using multivariate-adjusted, mixed linear regression, we estimated mean differences in slopes of cognitive decline by long-term berry and flavonoid intakes. Results: Greater intakes of blueberries and strawberries were associated with slower rates of cognitive decline (eg, for a global score averaging all 6 cognitive tests, for blueberries: p-trend = 0.014 and mean difference = 0.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01–0.07, comparing extreme categories of intake; for strawberries: p-trend = 0.022 and mean difference = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.00–0.06, comparing extreme categories of intake), after adjusting for multiple potential confounders. These effect estimates were equivalent to those we found for approximately 1.5 to 2.5 years of age in our cohort, indicating that berry intake appears to delay cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years. Additionally, in further supporting evidence, greater intakes of anthocyanidins and total flavonoids were associated with slower rates of cognitive decline (p-trends = 0.015 and 0.053, respectively, for the global score).