Eating Blueberries Can Help People Suffering from PTSD

PTSD—or post-traumatic stress disorder—is difficult to treat, and sufferers are at a higher risk of suicide. Counseling and medication are the go-to remedies, but a new series of studies conducted on rats suggests a new weapon in the arsenal against PTSD: blueberries.

Seriously, will wonders never cease? The petite berries have been shown to reduce the genetic and biochemical drivers that lead to depression and suicidal tendencies that have been associated with the disorder.

The research comes out of Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine. There, researchers first induced PTSD in rats—or at least gave them the rat-form of PTSD. The result was a bunch of rats that exhibited fear instead of curiosity when presented with an unfamiliar object. The scientists then fed the rats a bunch of blueberries.

READ MORE: War Veterans Turn to Farming to Cope with PTSD

Focusing on a gene known as SKA2, which is expressed at abnormally low levels in people who have committed suicide, the researchers found that rats with PTSD-like symptoms who were fed the blueberries expressed low levels of SKA2 compared to normal laboratory rats. This suggests that eating about two cups per day of blueberries—the human equivalent to what to the rats were fed, and no small amount—may have a beneficial effect.

"In the PTSD animals, there was a decrease in the SKA2 levels in the blood, as well as in the brain's prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, compared to non-PTSD rats," said Joseph Francis, Ph.D., the Everett D. Besch Professor of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine and the study's senior author. "The findings suggest that a nonpharmacological agent like blueberries can have an effect on the expression of this important gene."

PTSD is defined as a disorder that arises after someone has suffered a traumatic event and is particularly high among veterans and women who have been the victims of rape. A wide range of psychological, behavioral, and social problems can arise, including depression, substance abuse, and relationship problems.

Earlier research by the same group last year found that a blueberry-heavy diet increased serotonin release in the brain, and since serotonin is associated with all kinds of good feelings, the friendly little berries could be helpful in alleviating depression. Naturally, the researchers say that more studies are needed (they always say that, don't they?), but the bottom line is this: "blueberries can't hurt—and may help—in people with PTSD."

Given that almost 7 percent of Americans will develop PTSD sometime during their lives, and ten percent will suffer depression (and that number appears to be increasing yearly), maybe we should all be downing blueberries by the basketful. Talk about a superfood! All we can say is that Violet Beauregard is probably living in a retirement community somewhere, extremely happy and healthy.