Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
15 March 2016 07:55
Blueberries are packed with antioxidants
Blueberries may provide a key to staving off Alzheimer's in older people, new studies carried out by US scientists suggest.
Scientists are now planning to follow up their small scale studies by testing the so-called super-fruit's affect on younger patients, some of whom have a raised risk of developing dementia.
One of the studies has seen researchers at the University of Cincinnati administering a powdered form of blueberries to a group of nearly 50 people aged in their late sixties or above.
The subjects were already suffering from a mild cognitive impairment, something that increases the chances of developing Alzheimer's, a condition that can be covered among holidaymakers by a specialist Alzheimer's travel insurance policy.
'Blueberries triggered memory improvement'
Those who consumed the blueberry powder saw their thinking performance improve, an affect that was not replicated among volunteers who were given an inert placebo powder.
According to the researchers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans reveal greater brain activity among those who were given the blueberry powder.
The research has been led by Dr Robert Krikorian. He says taking the blueberry powder went hand in hand with better brain functions and improved cognitive performance and memory.
A second study involved the blueberry powder, fish oil or a placebo being used to treat more than 90 people aged between 62 and 80. The volunteers were experiencing memory loss but had not suffered a measurable cognitive decline.
Neither the blueberry extract nor the fish oil were found to have a significant effect on the subjects' memory but the treatments both resulted in thinking improvements, the researchers report.
Younger volunteers to test blueberries
The team says those involved in the second study may have had less severe issues than those who took part in the first one, perhaps explaining the differing findings on memory.
Researchers now plan to test the blueberry powder on a group of volunteers aged between 50 and 65. They will include those who are obese or have high cholesterol or blood pressure and are so considered to have a higher than normal chance of developing Alzheimer's.
Blueberries contain high levels of antioxidants that are believed to also cut people's chances of developing heart disease and the cell damage that is linked to cancer.
23 September 2016
Theresa May is being urged to give the go-ahead for flights to resume between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh by the head of the cross-party parliamentary group on Egypt.
[more...]
22 September 2016
Budget airline Jet2.com is to open its first base in the south of England at Stansted.
21 September 2016
Smoking rates have dropped to the lowest level on record in England, new figures show, suggesting messages about the health effects of cigarettes are hitting home.
20 September 2016
Concerns have been raised over flight disruptions caused by heavy drinking among passengers.
17 September 2016
British Airways' decision to launch direct flights from London to Tehran earlier this month positions Iran as one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2017, according to experts.
16 September 2016
More than 100 flights have been cancelled as French air traffic controllers go on strike again.
15 September 2016
Two thirds of MPs would support an expansion at Heathrow.
14 September 2016
TripAdvisor is launching a new homepage, making the booking of holiday activities and tours even easier.
13 September 2016
Travellers are to be charged to use fast lanes to get through passport checks in an attempt to cut queues.
09 September 2016
People travelling to regions affected by the Zika virus outbreak should practise safe sex for at least half a year upon their return, health leaders say.
08 September 2016
British Airways is apologising to passengers for delays after an IT glitch hit check-in systems.
07 September 2016
Tiny particles that are breathed in and taken into the brain through air pollution could trigger Alzheimer's disease, research finds.