Flavonoid-rich mixed berries maintain and improve cognitive function over a 6 h period in young healthy adults

Whyte, A. R., Cheng, N., Butler, L. T., Lamport, D. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4592-0439 and Williams, C. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4452-671X (2019) Flavonoid-rich mixed berries maintain and improve cognitive function over a 6 h period in young healthy adults. Nutrients, 11 (11). 2685. ISSN 2072-6643 doi: 10.3390/nu11112685

Abstract/Summary

Research with young adults has previously indicated flavonoid-rich berry interventions facilitate improved executive function (EF) and positive affect 20 min–2 h post-dosing. There has been little consideration of the impact of a berry intervention over a working day and interventions have also tended to consider only a single berry type. This study investigated the temporal profile of EF and mood changes over a 6 h period following a mixed-berry intervention. We hypothesized berry-related benefits would be most evident when participants were cognitively compromised on demanding elements of the task or during periods of fatigue. The study employed a single-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, between-subjects design. Forty participants aged 20–30 years consumed a 400 mL smoothie containing equal blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry (n = 20) or matched placebo (n = 20). Mood was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; EF was tested using the Modified Attention Network (MANT) and Task Switching (TST) Tasks. Testing commenced at baseline then 2, 4 and 6 h post-dosing. As expected, following placebo intervention, performance decreased across the day as participants became cognitively fatigued. However, following berry intervention, participants maintained accuracy on both cognitive tasks up to and including 6 h, and demonstrated quicker response times on the MANT at 2 and 4 h, and TST at 6 h. This study demonstrates the efficacy of flavonoid rich berries in maintaining or improving cognitive performance across the 6 h day.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/87183
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Nutrition and Health
Uncontrolled Keywords	berry; blueberry; raspberry; strawberry; blackberry; polyphenol; flavonoid; cognition; executive function; mood
Publisher	MDPI
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