# The daily sweet snack that could help with depression in older adults

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-daily-sweet-snack-that-could-help-with-depression-in-older-adults/
- Published: 2026-11-07T18:06:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T18:23:12+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/07/health/the-daily-sweet-snack-that-could-help-with-depression-in-older-adults/
- Topics: Health, Mental Health, Research, Science, World

## Key points

- Both groups reported improved mood after three months.
- The study found no significant difference between blueberry and placebo groups.
- Researchers say larger trials are needed.

## Summary

A small pilot study found that older adults who consumed blueberry powder daily for three months reported improved depressive symptoms. However, the placebo group improved by a similar amount, so the study does not show that blueberries caused the change.

Researchers observed subtle shifts in gut bacteria among those eating blueberries and suggested these might affect mood-related brain chemicals such as GABA. The trial included just 18 people, mostly white women, and the researchers said a larger, more diverse study is needed to assess any effect.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.