EATING a couple of portions of these superfruits can be berry good for one's memory.Scientists reckon a diet rich in blueberries can fend off memory loss in old age and even reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

EATING a couple of portions of these superfruits can be berry good for one's memory.

Scientists reckon a diet rich in blueberries can fend off memory loss in old age and even reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

Every shop we visited had sold out of blueberries, so The Evening Star hit the streets of Ipswich armed instead with some blueberry muffins and a simple memory test.

Research suggests that blueberries fight the effects of age-related decline in the brain, such as short-term memory loss, due to the antioxidant qualities of 'flavonoids' found in the fruit.

We wrote down a short sentence about memory and asked six people to memorise it and then recite it without looking at the piece of paper.

Most of our guinea pigs failed to get past the first few lines but we then tested whether eating a blueberry muffin improved their chances of committing it to memory.

Sadly the results were inconclusive but boffins believe there's no question that eating a handful of blueberries a day increases motor skills and can thwart forgetfulness in old age.

The man behind the research carried out in the US asked volunteers to add blueberries to their normal diet and reported improvements in memory within just a few weeks.

And blueberries aren't the only fruit said to be good for the brain. All varieties of fruit contain natural sugars which stimulate the brain so we can think faster and recall information more quickly.

Would eating a blueberry muffin improve this lot's memory?

Leon Shepherd, 18, from Boxford, Sudbury: “I've heard of fruit being good for memory but not blueberries especially.”

Elora Kerr, 16, Nacton: “I didn't find it any easier to remember what was written down after eating the muffin. I think I'd have to eat a lot more.”

Nishan Emmamdeen, 18, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich: “I'm a psychology student and I've definitely never heard of it.”

Lucas Poole, 18, Bixley Drive: “I've heard of it working but I doubt it's true. I also heard chocolate was good for brain power as well.”

Jenny Staines, 56, Stanton: “It was difficult to remember the sentence and I don't think I was any better with it after I ate the muffin.”

John Harold, 66, Britannia Road, Ipswich: “I think I may have added a couple of words of my own! Perhaps there weren't enough blueberries.”

Blueberries are one of the healthiest fruit you can eat, according to medical experts from America.

Full of vitamin C, packed with anti-oxidants, and great for the bladder, they have also been found to contain elements that reduce cholesterol.

The berry is native to North America and can come between 0.5 and 3.5 cm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, pale pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish.

They have a sweet taste when mature.

The blueberry season peaks in December, which is National Blueberry Month in the United States and Germany.