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The Effects of a Single Dose of Wild Blueberries on Mood and Cognition in Healthy Young Adults

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University of Reading

Status

Completed

Conditions

Mood
Cognition
Affect

Treatments

Dietary Supplement: Placebo powder
Dietary Supplement: Wild blueberry powder

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to investigate whether consuming a drink containing powdered blueberries (equivalent to 150 g fresh fruit) can improve mood and cognition in healthy young adults. Blood biomarkers of inflammation and neurotransmitter turnover will be analyzed as well as responses to computer-based cognitive tasks designed to measure verbal memory, executive function, and emotional processing.

Full description

The present study will examine the psychological effects of a single dose of freeze-dried wild blueberries using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, crossover design. A total of 30 healthy young adults will consume two drinks: one containing 22 g blueberry powder and the other containing 22 g matched placebo powder in counterbalanced order one week apart. The investigators will assess changes in transient mood, cognitive-emotional function, and serum biomarkers of inflammation, neuroplasticity, and monoamine metabolism from baseline to 2 hours post-ingestion.

Enrollment

33 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 25 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 to 25 years of age
  • Willingness to provide blood samples

Exclusion criteria

  • Allergy to blueberries or any other Vaccinium species
  • Diagnosis or symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions
  • Any medically significant condition (e.g. anemia, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes)
  • Use of psychoactive medication or recreational drugs in the last two weeks
  • Current use of medication that could interact with the intervention (e.g. antibiotics)
  • Obesity or underweight
  • Participation in other interventional studies in the last month
  • Pregnancy or lactation

Trial design

Primary purpose

Treatment

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Crossover Assignment

Masking

Triple Blind

33 participants in 2 patient groups

Blueberry/Placebo
Experimental group
Description:
In this arm, participants will receive the blueberry intervention first, followed by the placebo one week later.
Treatment:
Dietary Supplement: Placebo powder
Dietary Supplement: Wild blueberry powder
Placebo/Blueberry
Experimental group
Description:
In this arm, participants will receive the placebo first, followed by the blueberry intervention one week later.
Treatment:
Dietary Supplement: Placebo powder
Dietary Supplement: Wild blueberry powder

Trial documents
1

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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