A team of researchers from Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada) suggests that this fruit could help treat Parkinson's disease and other types of neurodegenerative disorders .
To reach this conclusion, the scientists focused on alpha-synuclein , a nuclear and synaptic protein located in the brain, which has been shown to be key in the development of Parkinson's. For the study, the researchers put this gene into fruit flies, causing the flies to experience a number of defects such as retinal degeneration and shortened lifespan .
After this, they wanted to see if the extract of blueberries, a fruit known to be rich in fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients, could enhance these effects of alpha-synuclein. The result revealed that flies that had been fed blueberry extract lived up to 15% longer than those that had followed a standard diet. In the same way, he also improved his eye problems, concluding that blueberries increase the shelf life and improve the symptoms of this disease in tests carried out with the fruit fly.
According to study co-author Brian Staveley, "the increased life expectancy seen in fruit flies is the equivalent of an extended lifespan of 8 years in humans ."
