Brainberry is a natural plant extract made from the Nero Eggert variety of Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberries), standardized to contain 25% cyanidins, which are key antioxidant flavonoids abundant in berries.
Solabia Nutrition’s internal R&D team collaborated with Maastricht University researchers to conduct the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. They recruited 30 older adults with overweight or obesity to evaluate the effects of Aronia melanocarpa extract (AME) on brain vascular function and cognition.
Anthocyanin-rich aronia melanocarpa extract
Researchers have investigated dietary strategies that support vascular health as impaired vascular function is linked to many age-related conditions.
While diet–vascular links are well studied, it is less known how diet affects brain vascular function and cognition, despite their central role in cognitive decline, the researchers of the new study noted.
Anthocyanins have gained attention for potential cognitive benefits, and previous research has found that anthocyanin-rich AME improved psychomotor speed and attention in healthy adults, and systematic reviews suggest anthocyanins may enhance cognition and peripheral vascular function.
However, evidence for effects on brain vascular function remains inconsistent, and so to address this gap, the researchers conducted the study to test whether six weeks of AME supplementation improved brain vascular function in older adults with overweight or obesity.
Aronia melanocarpa extract improves executive function
The researchers recruited healthy older men and postmenopausal women. Each participant completed two six-week intervention periods—anthocyanin-rich Aronia melanocarpa extract (AME) and placebo—in random order, separated by a washout of at least six weeks. At baseline and after each intervention period, participants attended standardized morning visits under fasting, temperature-controlled conditions.
During the AME period, participants consumed one capsule daily containing 160 mg AME (40 mg anthocyanins) before breakfast, while matched cellulose capsules served as placebo. The capsules were identical in appearance and were blinded.
The research team assessed anthropometrics, collected blood samples, measured vascular and retinal outcomes, evaluated cognitive performance, Automated Battery, and quantified brain vascular function with MRI.
Results found that AME supplementation did not change cerebral blood flow (CBF) in most parts of the brain, and in one small brain area involved in emotions and decision-making, blood flow actually decreased. However, even though brain blood flow did not improve, the extract was found to improve executive function, with participants making 20% fewer errors on tasks that require planning, remembering locations, and handling information.
“As CBF was not increased in brain regions that are important for cognitive processes, and the (peripheral) vascular function measurements that were included in this study remained unchanged, other underlying mechanisms must be involved in the regulation of AME-induced beneficial effects on cognitive performance,” the researchers noted.
Some in vitro and animal studies show that anthocyanins can cross the blood–brain barrier, however this effect is unconfirmed in humans because measuring it directly is invasive, the researchers noted. However, they hypothesized that once in the brain, anthocyanins may act directly on brain cells by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell damage - protective effects that could help explain the improvements in thinking ability that researchers observed.
“Future research focusing on higher anthocyanin dosages and longer intervention durations is recommended to further elucidate dietary anthocyanin-induced cognitive benefits in humans,” they concluded.
Journal: Clinical Nutrition; doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2025.106561 “Aronia melanocarpa extract supplementation affects brain vascular function and cognitive performance: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study in older adults with overweight or obesity.” Authors: Ahles, A. et al.
