Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40856863›Full record

SynthesisBiogerontology2025

Blueberries for brainpower: A systematic review and meta-analysis with Bayesian post hoc analysis of RCTS exploring cognitive function in the elderly with prior cognitive decline.

Ana Beatriz Nardelli da Silva, Gabriel Moraes de Oliveira, Mariano Gallo Ruelas, Maitê Silva Martins Gadelha, Ana Clara Felix de Farias Santos, Fernanda Valeriano Zamora

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Biogerontology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A Review ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ana Beatriz Nardelli da SilvaLaboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of Natural Products, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Augusto Corrêa St., Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil. anabeatriznardelli@gmail.com.ORCID 0009-0009-3405-1707
Gabriel Moraes de OliveiraMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2215-779X
Mariano Gallo RuelasInstituto de Investigación Nutricional (IIN), Lima, Peru.ORCID 0000-0003-1484-4581
Maitê Silva Martins GadelhaUniversity of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6799-3225
Ana Clara Felix de Farias SantosCity University of São Paulo (UNICID), São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0009-0004-0007-0866
Fernanda Valeriano ZamoraRio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.ORCID 0009-0008-9861-0670

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Blueberries are anthocyanin-rich fruits widely consumed by the general population, with well-established health benefits on the endocrine and cardiovascular systems attributed to their potent anti-inflammatory properties. However, the potential impact of blueberry consumption on cognitive function in elderly individuals with prior cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia, remains insufficiently explored in the literature. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the potential effects of chronic blueberry consumption on cognitive performance in this population through various memory assessment tools. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of chronic blueberry consumption on cognitive function. We pooled standard mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using a random-effects model. We identified nine eligible RCTs involving 513 patients. In elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive decline, blueberry intake showed a statistically significant improvement in episodic memory. (SMD = 0.34; 95% CI 0.11 to 0.57; p < 0.05). The subgroup analysis revealed that diagnostic objetivity was not a statistically significant effect modifier. Blueberry intake was also associated with improved language memory in MCI patients (SMD = 0.30; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.60; p < 0.05). No improvements were seen in processing speed (SMD = - 0.33; 95% CI - 0.85 to 0.19, p > 0.05), recognition memory (SMD = 0.14; 95% CI - 0.17 to 0.46, p > 0.05), visuospatial learning (SMD = 0.32; 95% CI - 0.16 to 0.79, p > 0.05) and working memory (SMD = 0.09; 95% CI - 0.21 to 0.39, p > 0.05). Chronic blueberry intake may improve episodic memory in the elderly with MCI and subjective cognitive decline, and also language in the elderly with MCI. These findings should be confirmed in further multicenter trials to confirm generalizability and long-term impact.

Indexed as

Blueberry PlantsCognitionCognitive DysfunctionFruitAgedBayes TheoremHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAlzheimer’sBlueberriesCognitive declineDementiaElderly populationSupplementation

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.