Parents are often at a loss as to how to help their children recover from a concussion, as the prescription for physical and cognitive rest doesn't call for them to do anything besides watch their child recover. But scientists have been studying the wonderful berry family - strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, among others - and their effects on the brain.

While no conclusions have been drawn in relationship to concussion and youth athletes, berries have exhibited some effects on the aging brain that raise questions about their potential protective benefits for all age groups.

First, researchers found that the high levels of antioxidants present in berries protect aging brain cells from cellular damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants, found in many foods, help prevent free radicals from harming healthy tissue. Additionally, berries change the way neurons in the brain communicate, which researchers believe can prevent inflammation that contributes to neuronal damage and improves both motor control and cognition.

Berries are includhttps://he Top 10 Brain Foods for Children which encourages parents to include them in their children's everyday diet. A Detroit nutritionist and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Bethany Thayer says that our brain is a very hungry organ and the first to absorb nutrients from the food we eat. Studies have shown improved memory with the extracts of blueberries and strawberries, according to emedicinehealth.com. The seeds from berries are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

The new rhttps:// was conducted to identify benefits to the aging brain, and extensive review of cellular, animal and human studies were reviewed. In the recently published article, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Ph.D., and Marshall G. Miller suggest that further research will show whether these benefits are a result of individual compounds shared between berry fruits or whether the unique combinations of chemicals in each berry fruit simply have similar effects.

Their new article on the value of eating berry fruits appears in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Source: American Chemical Society - March 7, 2012

Children's Health- Top 10 Brain Foods for Children - emedicinehealth.com - April 26, 2011

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