Meet the small berry with big brain health benefits: the bilberry

Most of us are familiar with blueberries. Whether opting to add them to a bowl of granola in the morning, or enjoying them as a snack in the afternoon. The small, dark berry is packed with flavonoids to help to increase overall health and blood flow to the brain, and as Jeremy Spencer, Professor of Nutrition and Molecular Biology, has said, “if you were to add one thing to your diet, make sure it’s blueberries.” 

The blueberry’s smaller cousin however, the bilberry, is often overlooked. Bilberries are native to mountain heaths, moorlands and boggy barren lands, thriving in strongly acidic, nutrient-poor soils. It is this terrain that drives their exceptionally high quantity of anthocyanins. Unlike commercially grown blueberries, bilberries contain up to five times more concentrated levels of anthocyanins, which are increasingly understood to be bioactive molecules with direct influence on brain function.

Anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid, are the pigments that give blueberries and bilberries their deep purple, blue colour. They sit within the broader category of polyphenols and are therefore packed with antioxidants to help not only with overall health, but to build cognitive resilience for later life. Plants produce anthocyanins as a stress response, and so facing such adverse conditions such as temperature fluctuations in the scottish highlands or high UV radiation and little atmospheric filtration in the Scandinavian mountains, coupled with nutrient-poor acidic soil, means that the bilberry produces larger quantities of these protective pigments. These anthocyanins then absorb and dissipate the UV light, working to protect their inner cellular structure. 

When bilberries are consumed, they are absorbed in the gut, but what’s crucial is that a proportion of the bilberry’s antioxidants (metabolites), actually cross the blood-brain barrier allowing them to directly protect brain health on multiple fronts, simultaneously. This includes protecting the brain from damage while actively supporting its ability to adapt, communicate and perform. 

As we move beyond mid-life, into our 60s, the brain becomes particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress and damage, which has been formed by the accumulation of oxidative stress and free radical damage over years. It can also trigger neuroinflammation. Chronic, low-grade neuroinflammation is now recognised as a key driver of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. By crossing the blood-brain barrier, anthocyanins can help to modulate the inflammatory pathways, directly reducing the oxidative stress that damages neurons over time. By reducing neuroinflammation, the compounds of bilberry are also able to help improve working memory and processing speed, especially episodic memory for older adults. In 2020, a study published in Nutrients found that supplementation with bilberry extract improved memory performance in healthy older participants over a 24-week period, suggesting neuroprotective benefits with consistent use. Supporting cerebrovascular health is also important, and the bilberry has long been associated with improved circulation, including a better and healthier blood flow circulation. With a strong blood flow around the body, there is a better delivery of oxygen to the brain. 

So why does the bilberry deserve a place in your daily diet? 

From its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce neuroinflammation, to supporting memory and cardiovascular health, the bilberry is much more than just ‘another wild berry’. Whether consumed fresh, frozen or as part of your supplement regime, incorporating bilberry into daily life is a key nutritional step in supporting your brain health. The secret is to sustain bilberries as a regular, permanent part of your diet.

For more information on additional ways to help protect brain health, visit our six key pillars at www.brain.health