NewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published August 28 2006
Berries protect the nervous system from radiation damage, research reveals
(NewsTarget) A new study by Tufts University researchers has found that
following a diet rich in berries may slow down the aging process of the
brain and keep it sharp.
A team of researchers led by Barbara Shukitt-Hale studied a group of 60
young male rats by splitting them up into three groups. The first group was
fed a diet with no berries, the second was fed a diet with strawberry
extract and the third group was fed a diet with blueberry extract. After the
rats had been on the diets for two months, half of the rats were subjected
to radiation to quicken the aging process. [Editor's note: We do not condone
irradiating any living creatures, including rats. But this is what the
heartless researchers did, so we're reporting what was observed.]

After half the rats were irradiated, the entire group was put through tests
that included a maze test and a chemical test for dopamine. Low levels of
dopamine point to poor memory and attention, and other poor mental skills.

The researchers found that the rats that had been irradiated and were on a
diet with no berries performed the worst in the maze of the three groups,
and also tested the lowest for dopamine levels. The rats that had been
irradiated and were on a diet with berry extract performed as well as the
group that had not been irradiated.

"What this cruel experiment seems to indicate," explained Mike Adams, a
consumer health advocate and holistic nutritionist, "is that the natural
medicines found in berries, including antioxidants and other phytonutrients,
substantially protect the nervous system from radiation damage. This helps
explain why people who follow poor nutritional habits get sunburned so
easily," he added.

"The study also indicates that berries can even help protect lab animals
from researchers intent on harming them via inhumane medical experiments,"
Adams noted.

Betsy