The effects of wild blueberry on the cognition and mood of 7-10 year old children

Wild blueberry (WBB) intervention has previously been demonstrated to have beneficial acute cognitive effects in typically developing (TD) children, however it is unclear whether effects persist chronically. This thesis examined the acute (2 h) and chronic (4 week) effects of WBB (253mg anthocyanins) on the cognition and mood of 7-10 year old children, and aimed to extend behavioural data to elucidate the mechanisms by which effects might occur, using event-related potentials (ERPs) and 24 h urinary metabolite analyses. Initially, acute effects were examined in a TD sample (n=54), where cognition and mood were assessed at baseline and 2 h post-consumption. WBB attenuated forgetting, quickened reaction time (RT) on fast trials, and improved positive affect. Following this, TD children (n=14) completed cognitive and mood measures 2 h following treatment, concurrent with ERP, using a crossover design. Improved accuracy and RT were seen on cognitively demanding incongruent trials following WBB. Remarkably, these effects occurred simultaneously with higher electrophysiological activation in frontal brain areas associated with increased inhibitory function. Mood effects were not replicated. Acute and chronic effects were then investigated in TD children (n=23), and in a sub-sample of children with ADHD (n=10) at baseline, 2 h, 2 weeks and 4 weeks. WBB-related acute improvements included faster RT on fast trials across populations, and attenuated forgetting for children with ADHD. Chronic executive function (EF) benefits persisted on cognitively demanding high load trials in both populations. In a final experiment, chronic WBB-related improvements were seen on cognitively demanding incongruent trials in TD children (n=15). Chronic urinary metabolite analyses indicated specific WBB increases in benzoic, vanillic and ferulic acid derivatives across 4 weeks. Taken together, findings demonstrate cognitive improvements can be seen across acute and chronic WBB intervention in TD children aged 7-10, and preliminarily for those with ADHD. The research also shows 24 h WBB bioavailability in a child cohort for the first time, highlighting metabolites that may cross the blood-brain-barrier and exert cognitive effects. Results add to the evidence that suggests flavonoids may be sensitive to cognitive demand, and novel ERP data implies effects may be mediated by increases in inhibition-related neuronal activation

Mental health in new mothers: a randomised controlled study into the effects of dietary flavonoids on mood and perceived quality of life

The postnatal period is a significant period of physical, physiological and psychological change for mothers, rendering them particularly vulnerable to changes in mood or disorders such as postnatal depression (PND). Previous interventions with foods high in flavonoids have demonstrated beneficial acute and chronic mood effects in healthy child, adolescent and adult populations. It is unclear whether mood effects persist in populations who are potentially at-risk of developing mood disorders, such as postnatal mothers. This exploratory study investigated the effects of a 2-week daily dietary flavonoid intervention on mood (PANAS-NOW), anxiety (STAI), depressive symptoms (PHQ-8) and perceived quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) in forty-one new mothers in the 0–12-month postnatal period, before and after flavonoid intervention. Mothers either added high flavonoid foods to their daily diet, or did not include additions following a randomised, between-groups, controlled design. Significant effects were observed in the flavonoid group with mothers reporting lower state anxiety and higher perceived quality of physical health at the 2-week timepoint. These findings suggest that regular dietary consumption of flavonoids may benefit mothers’ anxiety and perceived quality of life in the postnatal period. Replication of these results may indicate the potential for dietary flavonoids to promote healthy mood regulation in mothers or prevent the onset or severity of symptoms in postnatal psychological disorders, both of which would be beneficial for women’s health services and public mental health

The effects of flavonoid supplementation on the mental health of postpartum mothers

Introduction: During the postpartum period, parents face psychological challenges and resultantly, changes in mood and associated mood disorders have become increasingly prevalent in the 6-months following birth. Dietary flavonoids have been found to benefit mood and are therefore an appealing non-pharmacological option for potentially treating mood disorders in the postpartum. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a two-week dietary flavonoid intervention would improve mothers’ and fathers’ mental health in the immediate 6-month postpartum period. Method: The study employed a randomised, parallel groups, controlled design to explore the effects of a flavonoid intervention versus control group on several outcomes, including mood (PANAS), postpartum depression (EPDS), postpartum anxiety (PSAS-RSF-C) and quality of life (WHOQOL). Sixty participants (mothers n=40, fathers n=20) in the 6-month post-partum period were randomised to either a ‘flavonoid’ or ‘control’ condition. The flavonoid group were asked to add two flavonoid-rich foods (approximate flavonoid intake 218mg/day) into their daily diet whilst controls (n=23) were asked to continue with their usual diet for two-weeks (ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04990622). Results: Significant effects were found in the flavonoid group where mothers reported higher positive affect and lower postpartum depression after the two-week intervention relative to baseline. This finding is especially relevant as a clinical reduction in postpartum depression scores in the flavonoid group by on average 2.6 scoring points was observed, which equated to a reduction from ‘possible depression’ at baseline to ‘little or no depression’ at 2-weeks, which was not observed in the control group. Fathers’ data was not analysed due to non-compliance with the intervention. Discussion: This study provides evidence for the benefits of a dietary flavonoid intervention for mood and mental health in new mothers, supporting the utility of non-pharmacological, self—administrable changes to the diet for improving positive mood outcomes and reducing symptoms of postpartum depression in mothers during an especially challenging time. Further research for the effect of dietary interventions on paternal mental health is needed

Effects of daily consumption of wild blueberry on cognition and urinary metabolites in school‑aged children: a pilot study

Purpose: Acute intervention with wild blueberry (WBB) has previously revealed positive cognitive and mood effects in typically developing children; however, it is unclear whether effects persist after daily supplementation. In addition, no data have been published exploring the metabolite profiles of children following berry consumption, to our knowledge. A study of this kind could provide insight into a mechanism of action for the cognitive and mood improvements observed previously in children. The aim of this pilot study was to assess cognitive performance and urinary metabolite concentrations in healthy 7–10-year-old children across a 4 week daily WBB drink intervention. Methods: This pilot study examined the effects of daily WBB consumption for 4 weeks (766 mg total polyphenols; 253 mg anthocyanins; equivalent to 240 g fresh blueberries per day) on cognition and mood in 15 healthy 7–10-year-old children. Polyphenol metabolites were measured in 24 h urine before and after the 4 week intervention. Results: Chronic WBB-related benefits were seen on cognitively demanding trials on the modified attention network task, a task measuring executive functioning. Specifically, the WBB group maintained significantly higher accuracy on incongruent trials (96%; SE 0.03) compared with placebo participants (85%; SE 0.03; p=0.038) after the 4 week intervention, suggesting WBB was of most benefit on the more difficult aspects of the task. No significant WBB-related effects were observed on the auditory verbal learning task or the child’s version of the positive and negative affect schedule. Urinary metabolite analyses indicated significant increases in different metabolites in WBB and placebo groups after 4 week consumption. Conclusion: The research demonstrates 24 h WBB bioavailability in a child cohort for the first time with increases in urinary hippuric acid excretion during 2 week daily WBB consumption. This study highlights the importance of conducting a larger study in children investigating the mechanism of action behind cognitive effects using bioavailability data