Blueberries may support brain and heart health as you age, experts say

A cup of blueberries can boost breakfast, and experts say it may also support heart and brain health.

Walter Willett, an 81-year-old Harvard nutrition researcher known for decades of work on diet and chronic disease, recently told The Washington Post that he eats blueberries almost every day, usually adding them to oatmeal with Greek yogurt and nuts.

Willett told the outlet: 'In study after study, berries appear to be protective against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. It's an area where we need more research, but berries do seem to stand out, especially blueberries.'

According to experts, blueberries are one of the most researched fruits, along with apples, bananas and citrus fruits, and studies have long examined their effects on blood vessels and cognition.

In a six-month study of 115 adults with metabolic syndrome, participants who consumed the equivalent of about a cup of blueberries daily showed improvements in blood-vessel function and arterial stiffness, Dr. Nadim Geloo, a Virginia-based senior medical director of Abbott's structural heart division, told Fox News Digital.

That does not mean blueberries directly prevent heart attacks or strokes, Geloo cautioned. He said most studies are small and short, often use freeze-dried powder rather than whole fruit, measure markers like blood vessel function rather than actual heart attacks or strokes, and are frequently funded by the blueberry industry.

Some studies have also found improvements in memory and other cognitive measures, especially among older adults, though Dr. Michael Aziz, an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, noted that those effects were modest and research has not shown blueberries can prevent Alzheimer's disease.

California-based biomedical researcher Rhonda Patrick also spoke about blueberries' benefits for heart and brain health on her FoundMyFitness podcast. 'The strongest benefit is vascular,' she said. Patrick called blueberries 'one of the better-supported polyphenol-rich foods' and said a 'practical dose' is about a cup a day.

Registered dietitian nutritionist Elisa Bremner, based in New York, said there is no 'magic bullet,' but there is nothing to lose by including more berries in your diet. She eats them nearly every day herself and said she has heard blueberries called 'brainberries' because of the research on cognitive function associated with them.

One cup of blueberries also provides about 3.6 grams of fiber, Bremner noted, which helps slow digestion, and pairing blueberries with protein-rich foods such as yogurt may further slow the release of sugar.

Fresh and frozen blueberries are both practical options, Bremner said, noting that frozen fruit can be a convenient, lower-cost way to eat fruit year-round. Longer-term observational studies have linked berry intake with slower cognitive decline, but they cannot prove blueberries caused the difference.