Strong scientific evidence that eating berries benefits the brain
Berries Benefit the BrainIn the article, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Ph.D., and Marshall G. Miller point out that longer lifespans are raising concerns about the human toll and health care costs of treating Alzheimer's disease and other forms of mental decline. They explain that recent research increasingly shows that eating berry fruits can benefit the aging brain. To analyze the strength of the evidence about berry fruits, they extensively reviewed cellular, animal and human studies on the topic.
Their review concluded that berry fruits help the brain stay healthy in several ways. Berry fruits contain high levels of antioxidants, compounds that protect cells from damage by harmful free radicals. The two also report that berry fruits change the way neurons in the brain communicate. These changes in signaling can prevent inflammation in the brain that contribute to neuronal damage and improve both motor control and cognition. They suggest that further research will show whether these benefits are a result of individual compounds shared between berry fruits or whether the unique combinations of chemicals in each berry fruit simply have similar effects.
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for the benefits versus the risks of eating non-organic berries, because organic is not an affordable option for most. That analysis should include looking at the processing practices for frozen berries--i.e., how much pesticide residue remains after their washing/sorting process. Is the benefit:risk ratio better or worse for eating some non-organic or none at all?
Sometimes, though there is some measurable health risk, the benefits can outweigh. I've seen some studies look at the relative benefits of low-mercury containing fish among sustenance fishermen, versus converting their diet to the standard high fat, low nutrient, high fast food diet of surrounding populations. And, overwhelmingly, the conclusion is to moderate, but continue eating for the adult/non-pregnant population.... 
So this is good news. 
