A new pilot study has found that older, sedentary adults who consumed blueberries daily showed a greater, more consistent reduction in depressive symptoms, paired with minor changes in markers of gut microbial enzymes.
While there were no statistically significant differences in changes in depressive symptoms between the test and placebo groups, the preliminary data warrant additional research to investigate the link between blueberries, the gut microbiome, and mood in older adults.
“Fiber and anthocyanins in blueberries have potential to modify the gut microbiome and metabolites that are relevant to depression in older adults,” said lead author Courtney L. Millar, PhD, assistant scientist II at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and assistant professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. “Our objective was to preliminarily determine the effect of blueberry consumption on the gut microbiome, metabolites, and depressive symptoms.”
Study design
Sedentary adults 65 years and older with mild depressive symptoms were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled pilot study. Participants consumed 48 grams per day of blueberry powder (approximately two cups of fresh berries) or a matched placebo powder for three months. Metagenomic sequencing measured the abundance of gut microbiota species and genes, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry evaluated gut-derived fecal short-chain fatty acids, and validated questionnaires evaluated depressive symptoms before and after the intervention.
Study participants
Eighteen participants, predominantly female and white, completed the intervention (placebo group, n = 8; mean age: 75 ± 6; blueberry group, n = 10; mean age: 71 ± 4).
Measures of gut microbe species abundance, MetaCyc pathways, and short-chain fatty acid metabolites did not change. There were statistically significant differences in the gene abundance of several enzyme commissions of the gut microbiome within the blueberry group — including EC 3.6.3.31 Polyamine Transporting ATPase, which is involved in the production of the neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
The study, “A pilot study of daily blueberry intake modulates the gut microbiota enzyme commissions in older, sedentary adults with mild depressive symptoms,” was published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.
No comments:
Post a Comment