Blueberry supplementation improves memory in middle-aged mice fed a high-fat diet.
Consuming a high-fat diet may result in behavioral deficits similar to those observed in aging animals. It has been 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, 9-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 powder. Novel object recognition memory was impaired by the high-fat diet; after 4 months on the high-fat diet, mice spent 50% of their time on the novel object in the testing trial, performing no greater than chance performance. Blueberry supplementation prevented recognition memory deficits after 4 months on the diets, as mice on this diet spent 67% of their time on the novel object. After 5 months on the diets, mice consuming the high-fat diet passed through the platform location less often than mice on low-fat diets during probe trials on days 2 and 3 of Morris water maze testing, whereas mice consuming the high-fat blueberry diet passed through the platform location as often as mice on the low-fat diets. This study is a first step in determining if incorporating more nutrient-dense foods into a high-fat diet can allay cognitive dysfunction.
Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture , Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States.
Amanda N
AN
Carey
Stacey M
SM
Gomes
Barbara
B
Shukitt-Hale
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D029798:Blueberry Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D002149:Energy Intake; D005638:Fruit / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL
blueberry; high-fat diet; obesity; recognition memory; spatial memory