Berries 'can clean up the brain'
Eating berries may combat age-related mental decline by "cleaning up" the brain, researchers claim.
Nurtitionists say polyphenol compounds in the fruits activate the brain's natural "housekeeping" mechanism.
Dr Shibu Poulose, from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, Massachusetts, said extracts of blueberries, strawberries and acai berries blocked the action of a protein that stops microglia doing their job.
The tests were only carried out in cell cultures and not on living animals.