Abstract
- Background
Functional physiological changes occurring within the aging brain frequently alter learning, memory, gait, and postural balance, occasionally culminating in early cognitive decline, physical disability, or severe injurious falls among older adults. Preclinical investigations utilizing rodent models of aging have demonstrated that dietary interventions rich in strawberries (SB) are consistently associated with noticeable improvements in neuronal, psychomotor, and cognitive functions. Building upon these preclinical insights, this randomized controlled trial was designed to test the hypothesis that daily dietary supplementation with freeze-dried strawberries would improve both mobility (gait and balance) and cognitive performance in an older adult human population.
- Methods
A rigorous randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted involving a total of thirty-seven older adult participants (twenty-two men and fifteen women, aged 60 to 75 years). Subjects were randomly assigned to consume either daily freeze-dried strawberry powder (24 g/day, nutritionally and volumetrically equivalent to two cups of fresh strawberries) or an organoleptically matched strawberry placebo over a 90-day intervention period. Comprehensive physiological testing was performed at baseline, day 45, and day 90 of the study, requiring participants to complete a comprehensive standardized battery of balance, gait, and cognitive evaluations. Evaluated endpoints included spatial learning, word recognition memory, postural stability, and walking mechanics.
- Results
Analysis of the clinical data revealed statistically significant supplement group by study visit interactions specifically regarding domains of learning and memory:
Cognitive Enhancements: Participants in the active strawberry (SB) supplementation group exhibited significantly shorter latencies in a virtual spatial navigation task ($P = 0.020$, $\eta_p^2 = 0.106$) and demonstrated increased word recognition performance in the California Verbal Learning Test ($P = 0.014$, $\eta_p^2 = 0.159$) across successive study visits relative to the placebo control cohort.
Gait & Balance Measures: Conversely, no statistically significant improvements in measures of physical mobility, dynamic gait, or postural balance were observed between the intervention and control groups over the 90-day duration.
The dietary intervention was exceptionally well-tolerated, with high adherence and no reported adverse side effects.
- Conclusions
Daily dietary incorporation of strawberries into the regimens of healthy older adults successfully improves specific aspects of learning and memory, though it does not impact measures of gait or balance over a 90-day timeframe. While these empirical findings underscore the neurocognitive benefits of functional berry bioactives, further large-scale clinical trials with extended follow-up durations are warranted to corroborate these outcomes.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/dietary-strawberry-improves-cognition-in-a-randomised-doubleblind-placebocontrolled-trial-in-older-adults/6DCBA9C5A798C0E6149322BBBCAAD461