Fruit-Aisle Secret to Better Heart and Brain Health
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted May 28, 2023
Aging often gets a bad rap.
But there are a bunch of advantages to getting older (and wiser). And honestly, it sure beats the heck out of the alternative.
But we can all agree that getting older has one BIG drawback…
Over the years, you start to collect illnesses.
First, it could be your blood pressure creeping up. Or your blood sugar may start misbehaving.
Now, you can handle one or two health problems. But before you know it, you could find yourself taking meds for a laundry list of ailments from brain issues to heart complaints.
Which is why I encourage PREVENTION whenever possible. Avoiding an ailment is always going to be better than having to treat it once it’s here.
And believe it or not, one way to drive down your risk for two of the BIGGEST threats to your health as you age is found in the fruit aisle.
Two complaints that send countless seniors to their doctor’s offices are memory problems and heart issues. And more often than not, you leave with a new prescription.
But what if you could head off that visit with a far more pleasant trip to the grocery store?
It turns out you can protect your heart AND brain with a regular dose of delicious, nutritious BLUEBERRIES.
Because while you may think of them as those tasty, tiny fruits that end up in muffins, they’re ALSO a powerful hidden source of memory and cardiovascular support.
A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a daily dose of blueberries significantly improves brain (cognitive) and heart (cardiovascular) health.
The study followed 61 healthy volunteers (ages 65–80). Half the participants consumed a daily drink made with 26 grams of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder. The other half drank a lookalike placebo with the same ingredients minus the blueberries.
Over 12 weeks, the lucky volunteers who got the real-deal blueberry-enriched beverage had their average systolic blood pressure plummet by 3.59 points (mm/HG).
It’s a huge drop that’s more than HALF of what some risky, heavy-duty BP drugs can accomplish AT BEST.
But the benefits didn’t end there. The blueberry group ALSO saw improvements in…
- blood-vessel function
- word recall
- cognitive task-switching ability
In other words, the blueberries significantly improved vascular and cognitive function.
The researchers believe the blue pigments in blueberries called anthocyanins get all the credit here. The blueberry powder drink delivered 302 mg of the powerful polyphenols in every dose, while the placebo drink had none.
I love that such a small addition to our diet can have such a BIG impact on our health. No new prescription needed.
Blueberry powders are widely available online, and anywhere nutritional supplements are sold. But you can also eat more fresh blueberries (around a cup or 75 blueberries to match the study) and other anthocyanin-rich foods such as raspberries, strawberries, red grapes, blackberries, and purple vegetables.
P.S. While you’re in the produce aisle picking up your blueberries, there are two veggies you should grab. They contain a “miracle molecule” that naturally lowers blood pressure and long-term heart risks right along with it. CLICK HERE to find out what they are.
Source:
“Wild blueberry (poly)phenols can improve vascular function and cognitive performance in healthy older individuals: a double-blind randomized controlled trial,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Published: March 25, 2023, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.03.017
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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