Children spend around 30 hours a week at school concentrating, learning and absorbing new information. Interestingly, new research published in the European Journal of Nutrition[1]has found that eating blueberries could have cognitive (brain) benefits for children.
The randomised controlled trial recruited 54 children who were at primary school (7 to 10 years) and asked them to drink 200ml of a wild blueberry drink or a placebo. The wild blueberry drink contained 253mg anthocyanins and was the equivalent to 240 grams or one and a half cups of fresh blueberries (about a punnet).
The team carrying out the research assessed verbal memory, cognitive function (attention and response) and reading efficiency before the drink was ingested and two hours after its consumption. Scientists found that the children who consumed the wild blueberry drink had quicker reaction times as it helped them to improve an executive function task known as the MANT (Modified Attention Network Task).
The study concluded that while ongoing research is needed, blueberries in amounts equivalent to 240 grams or one and a half cups of fresh blueberries could provide cognitive benefits to children of school age.
Dr Emma Derbyshire, Public Health Nutritionist and adviser to British Berry Growers commented, “This was a well-designed trial and implies that giving children berries as part of their breakfast in the morning or tucked away in their lunch boxes could well help to boost their brain power when they are at school, especially during exam season.”
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[1]Barfoot KL et al.(2018) The effects of acute wild blueberry supplementation on the cognition of 7-10-year-old schoolchildren. Eur J Nutr[Epub ahead of print].