Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #300070

Title: Blueberry supplementation improves memory in middle-aged mice fed a high-fat diet

Author
item CAREY, AMANDA - Simmons College
item GOMES, STACEY - University Of Cincinnati
item Shukitt-Hale, Barbara

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/21/2014
Publication Date: 1/21/2014
Citation: Carey, A.N., Gomes, S.M., Shukitt Hale, B. 2014. Blueberry supplementation improves memory in middle-aged mice fed a high-fat diet. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 62:3972-3978.

Interpretive Summary: Consuming a high-fat diet may result in behavioral deficits similar to those observed in aging animals. This study shows that consuming a blueberry-enriched high-fat diet is better than just consuming a high-fat diet alone on memory performance. Using a mouse model, we showed that 4 months consumption of blueberry protected against the adverse effects of a high fat diet on memory. This study is a first step in determining if incorporating more nutrient dense foods into a high-fat diet can improve cognitive function.

Technical Abstract: Consuming a high-fat diet may result in behavioral deficits similar to those observed in aging animals; our lab has demonstrated that blueberry supplementation can allay age-related behavioral deficits. To determine if supplementation of a high-fat diet with blueberries offers protection against putative high-fat diet-related declines, nine month old C57Bl/6 mice were maintained on low fat (10% fat calories) or high-fat (60% fat calories) diets with and without 4% freeze dried blueberry extract. Novel object recognition memory was impaired by high-fat diet, but blueberry-supplementation prevented recognition memory deficits after 4 months on the diets. After 5 months on the diets, probe trial performance in the Morris water maze was impaired in animals consuming high-fat diet, but not those consuming high-fat blueberry diet. This study is a first step in determining if incorporating more nutrient dense foods into a high-fat diet can allay cognitive dysfunction.