In a new study (partly funded by NASA) conducted by scientists at Tufts University and the University of Maryland suggests that blueberries and strawberries extracts could protect against the oxidative stress involved in the process of aging.

The new results have implications for diseases associated with decline in cognitive function, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

However, this is not the first time that blueberries have been linked to protection from Alzheimer's.

"It appeared that the antioxidant diets and the different polyphenols in these fruits might be acting in different brain regions to produce their beneficial effects," said the researchers.

"Perhaps, the polyphenolic compounds in blueberries are working mainly in the striatum, while those in strawberries are primarily affecting the Hippocampus. While these results are interesting, more testing needs to be done to confirm this suggestion," they said.

Results of this new study are published on-line ahead of print in the journal Neurobiology and Aging (doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.05.031).

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