The effects of acute wild blueberry supplementation on the cognition of 7–10-year-old schoolchildren

Abstract

PurposePrevious evidence suggests consumption of flavonoids, a sub-class of polyphenols, is associated with improved cognitive function across the lifespan. In particular, acute intervention of a flavonoid-rich wild blueberry (WBB) drink has been shown to boost executive function (EF), short-term memory and mood 2–6 h post-consumption in 7–10-year-old children. However, confirmation of the aspects of EF and memory susceptible to WBB ingestion is required, particularly during childhood, a critical period of neurological development. In addition, the child literature on berry flavonoid supplementation and cognition highlights the potential for such interventions to elicit positive benefits to real-world educational scenarios, such as reading, a complex ability which relies upon aspects of cognition already known to improve following WBB.MethodsHere we examined which aspects of EF and memory are susceptible to acute WBB, as well as investigating whether acute WBB could further benefit reading ability. Fifty-four healthy children, aged 7–10 years, consumed a 200 ml WBB drink (253 mg anthocyanins) or a matched placebo according to a randomised, single-blind, parallel-groups design. Verbal memory (Auditory Verbal Learning Task; AVLT), EF (Modified Attention Network Task; MANT), and reading efficiency (Test of Word Reading Efficiency-2; TOWRE-2) were assessed at baseline and 2 h post-consumption.ResultsFor the MANT, significantly quicker RTs were observed for WBB participants when compared to placebo participants on 120 ms trials, without cost to accuracy. Furthermore, WBB participants showed enhanced verbal memory performance on the AVLT, recalling more words than placebo participants on short delay and memory acquisition measures post-consumption. Despite these significant improvements in cognitive performance, no significant effects were observed for reading measures.ConclusionConsumption of WBB was found to significantly improve memory and attentional aspects of EF. This indicates that a flavonoid-rich blueberry product, equivalent to 240 g or 1½ cups of fresh blueberries can provide acute cognitive benefits in children. These findings support accumulating evidence that flavonoid-rich products are beneficial for healthy brain function, particularly during critical developmental periods. However, the lack of findings relating to reading ability suggested acute WBB may not be sufficient to elicit benefits to reading. Chronic supplementation and other more sensitive reading measures should be considered for examining the effects of WBB on such a complex skill in the future.

The effect of blueberry interventions on cognitive performance and mood: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

“…The manuscript by Khalid et al (2017) reported results from two separate studies. Furthermore, Khalid et al (2017) and Barfoot et al (2018) reported on separate outcomes from the same study cohort. Therefore, twelve studies from eleven cohorts are included in the analysis.…”

“…Disagreements were managed by discussion to reach consensus or by a third reviewer (W.M), where appropriate. Searches were re-run in October 2018, with one additional article located for inclusion in the systematic review (Barfoot et al, 2018).…”

Malvidin induces hepatic stellate cell apoptosis via the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway and mitochondrial pathway

“…Barfoot et al. (2019) reported that children aged 7–10‐year‐old could further improve their learning and cognitive function when they intake an anthocyanin‐rich wild blueberry drink (253 mg anthocyanins). However, the dosage of anthocyanins used in the human intervention trials varies widely (100–640 mg/day) for unhealthy individuals (Qin et al., 2009; Yang et al., 2017; Zhang, Chen, Li, Ling, & Guo, 2015).…”

Berry Supplementation and Their Beneficial Effects on Some Central Nervous System Disorders

“…Furthermore, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed that the daily administration of two capsules (10o mg) of a purified extract of blueberry (wild blueberry extract) for 3 months raised episodic and working memory in older adults of both sexes [151]. Additionally, a randomized, singleblind, parallel group design showed that the acute consumption of 200 ml of wild blueberry drink (253 mg anthocyanins) in healthy children aged 7-10 years significantly enhanced the memory and attentional aspects of executive function with respect to the placebo group 2 h after consumption; therefore, the consumption of the wild blueberry drink during the critical period of development (as is the case of childhood) could provide acute cognitive benefits [152]. Therefore, a double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover intervention study showed that acute supplementation with haskap berry extract "Lonicera caerulea L." (200 and 400 mg anthocyanins) raised the episodic memory and exerts benefits in cognitive performance following a single acute dose in older adults compared to placebo [153].…”