Cognition: The New Frontier for Nuts and Berries

The inclusion of nuts in the diet is associated with a decreased risk of coronary artery disease, hypertension, gallstones, diabetes, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and visceral obesity. Frequent consumption of berries seems to be associated with improved cardiovascular and cancer outcomes, improved immune function, and decreased recurrence of urinary tract infections; the consumption of nuts and berries is associated with reduction in oxidative damage, inflammation, vascular reactivity, and platelet aggregation, and improvement in immune functions. However, only recently have the effects of nut and berry consumption on the brain, different neural systems, and cognition been studied. There is growing evidence that the synergy and interaction of all of the nutrients and other bioactive components in nuts and berries can have a beneficial effect on the brain and cognition. Regular nut consumption, berry consumption, or both could possibly be used as an adjunctive therapeutic strategy in the treatment and prevention of several neurodegenerative diseases and age-related brain dysfunction. A number of animal and a growing number of human studies show that moderate-duration dietary supplementation with nuts, berry fruit, or both is capable of altering cognitive performance in humans, perhaps forestalling or reversing the effects of neurodegeneration in aging. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition

Neurobehavioral aspects of antioxidants in aging

Abstract Both aging and age-associated neurodegenerative diseases are associated with various degrees of behavioral impairments, and among the prime candidates responsible for producing the neuronal changes mediating these behavioral de®cits appear to be free radicals and the oxidative stress they generate. Therefore, there have been a number of studies which have examined the putative positive bene®ts of antioxidants in altering, reversing, or forestalling these neuronal/behavioral decrements, with varying degrees of success. Additional experiments have examined the eects of diets rich in fruits and vegetables or herbal extracts in reducing certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and evidence emerging from such experiments suggests that these kinds of dietary modi®cations may be bene®cial in altering neuronal/behavioral de®cits in aging, as well. These kinds of diets are particularly rich in antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, E, and bio¯avonoids (such as¯avones, tannins, and anthocyanins), and thus, there may be synergistic eects among them. The present paper will review studies concerning the in¯uence of dietary and synthetic antioxidants on normal, pathological age-related, and reactive oxygen species-induced behavioral changes in human and animal subjects. The antioxidants reviewed are vitamin E, a-lipoic acid, and the phytochemicals contained in herbals, fruits and vegetables. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

A review of the effects of mushrooms on mood and neurocognitive health across the lifespan

Mushrooms contain bioactive compounds with documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Here, we present a systematic evaluation of epidemiological and clinical studies that investigate the role of mushrooms, either as a separate or integral dietary component, on neurocognition and mood. Following a search of four databases, a total of 34 human studies examining the effect of different mushrooms across varying age cohorts and health statuses were selected for inclusion. Epidemiological studies included in this review (n = 24) revealed a significant benefit of dietary patterns that included mushrooms of any species on cognition and mood in both healthy and compromised populations. However, the results obtained from intervention studies (n = 10) were mixed. Studies mainly investigated Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus), showing some enhancement of mood and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults. Further acute and chronic human intervention studies are needed, using adequate sample sizes, employing appropriately sensitive neurocognitive tests, and investigating a range of dietary mushrooms, to confirm the effects of mushroom supplementation on neurocognition and mood in humans

Survival and Cardioprotective Benefits of Long-Term Blueberry Enriched Diet in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Following Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Despite remarkable progress in treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) over the last two decades, mortality, personal suffering and cost remain staggering, and effective interventions are still a challenge. Previously we reported that a blueberry-enriched diet (BD) attenuated necroapoptosis and inflammation in periinfarct area in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI).To test the hypothesis that BD will attenuate the course of CHF, including mortality and cardiac remodeling during the first year after induction of MI in rats.Two weeks after coronary artery ligation, rats were divided into two groups of similar average MI size, measured by echocardiography, and then 12-mo dietary regimens were initiated as follows: ad libitum regular diet (control, CD, n = 27) and isocaloric food with 2% blueberry supplement (BD, n = 27) also available ad libitum. These dietary groups were compared to each other and to sham group (SH). Mortality over the 12 mo was reduced by 22% in BD compared with CD (p<0.01). In the course of developing CHF, BD had no effect on the body weight, heart rate or blood pressure. Bi-monthly Echo revealed significant attenuation of the LV chamber remodeling, LV posterior wall thinning, and MI expansion in BD compared with CD. In fact, BD arrested the MI expansion.This is the first experimental evidence that a blueberry-enriched diet has positive effects on the course of CHF and thus warrants consideration for clinical evaluation

Blueberry polyphenols increase lifespan and thermotolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans

The beneficial effects of polyphenol compounds in fruits and vegetables are mainly extrapolated from in vitro studies or short-term dietary supplementation studies. Due to cost and duration, relatively little is known about whether dietary polyphenols are beneficial in whole animals, particularly with respect to aging. To address this question, we examined the effects of blueberry polyphenols on lifespan and aging of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, a useful organism for such a study. We report that a complex mixture of blue-berry polyphenols increased lifespan and slowed aging-related declines in C. elegans. We also found that these benefits did not just reflect antioxidant activity in these compounds. For instance, blueberry treatment increased survival during acute heat stress, but was not protective against acute oxidative stress. The blueberry extract consists of three major fractions that all contain antioxidant activity. However, only one fraction, enriched in proanthocyanidin compounds, increased C. elegans lifespan and thermotolerance. To further determine how polyphenols prolonged C. elegans lifespan, we analyzed the genetic requirements for these effects. Prolonged lifespan from this treatment required the presence of a CaMKII pathway that mediates osmotic stress resistance, though not other pathways that affect stress resistance and longevity. In conclusion, polyphenolic compounds in blueberries had robust and reproducible benefits during aging that were separable from antioxidant effects

A Blueberry-Enriched Diet Attenuates Nephropathy in a Rat Model of Hypertension via Reduction in Oxidative Stress

To assess renoprotective effects of a blueberry-enriched diet in a rat model of hypertension. Oxidative stress (OS) appears to be involved in the development of hypertension and related renal injury. Pharmacological antioxidants can attenuate hypertension and hypertension-induced renal injury; however, attention has shifted recently to the therapeutic potential of natural products as antioxidants. Blueberries (BB) have among the highest antioxidant capacities of fruits and vegetables.Male spontaneously hypertensive rats received a BB-enriched diet (2% w/w) or an isocaloric control diet for 6 or 12 weeks or 2 days. Compared to controls, rats fed BB-enriched diet for 6 or 12 weeks exhibited lower blood pressure, improved glomerular filtration rate, and decreased renovascular resistance. As measured by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, significant decreases in total reactive oxygen species (ROS), peroxynitrite, and superoxide production rates were observed in kidney tissues in rats on long-term dietary treatment, consistent with reduced pathology and improved function. Additionally, measures of antioxidant status improved; specifically, renal glutathione and catalase activities increased markedly. Contrasted to these observations indicating reduced OS in the BB group after long-term feeding, similar measurements made in rats fed the same diet for only 2 days yielded evidence of increased OS; specifically, significant increases in total ROS, peroxynitrite, and superoxide production rates in all tissues (kidney, brain, and liver) assayed in BB-fed rats. These results were evidence of "hormesis" during brief exposure, which dissipated with time as indicated by enhanced levels of catalase in heart and liver of BB group.Long-term feeding of BB-enriched diet lowered blood pressure, preserved renal hemodynamics, and improved redox status in kidneys of hypertensive rats and concomitantly demonstrated the potential to delay or attenuate development of hypertension-induced renal injury, and these effects appear to be mediated by a short-term hormetic response