On a fairly regular basis I receive emails from PR companies touting superfoods and food supplements as the way to beat everything from insomnia and arthritis to cancer and dementia.

Eat blueberries, they say, and the antioxidants in them will protect your brain from potentially damaging free radicals. Try turmeric because it is an anti-inflammatory; beetroot to boost red blood cell production. Scientific terms are tossed around as if they mean something to those of us without a science degree.

A recent report to enter my inbox claimed that foods such as extra virgin olive oil, almond butter and rosemary can prevent cognitive decline, citing ‘latest research’ and quoting a ‘leading nutritionist’.

Two weeks later I received ‘10 Surprising Ways to Sharpen Your Brain and Boost Memory’ from the same PR. Both press releases were on behalf of a company that sells curcumin supplements (the active ingredient in turmeric).

Media organisations have to take some of the blame for the popularity of superfood claims because stories about chocolate being good for us or the wonders of cure-all kale are guaranteed to hook in the reader. Factor in a celebrity fascination with superfoods and clean eating – thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow, Ella Woodward, etc – and it’s a winning subject. With rising lifespans and a corresponding increase in diseases of old age such as cancer and dementia, we’d be foolish not to look for ways to be healthier. In fact, a survey by Asda Pharmacy in Yorkshire this summer revealed that for many of us dementia is our worst fear. More than 2,000 people, aged 18 to 65, were questioned – half said they feared memory loss for a loved one and nearly 40% believe dementia is a worse fate than losing mobility or even developing a terminal illness.

But how much truth is there in the claims that superfoods can save us?

A new book by Anthony Warner, scientist and author of The Angry Chef blog, says we’ve swallowed too many myths and too much pseudoscience in our quest to be healthier. Why do we believe that ‘carrot juice and enemas’ can cure deadly diseases or that we can ‘detox’ by drinking green gunk? In a nutshell the Angry Chef says the answer is that we’d rather go on a Swiss chard detox than make small, permanent improvements to our diets and lifestyles. We want the quick and easy fix. (Incidentally, he says there’s no such thing as a detox treatment, our livers and kidneys remove toxins quite effectively on their own).

The Angry Chef, Anthony Warner, at work

He criticises journalists for their lack of scientific knowledge when writing about nutrition and questions the widely-held belief that processed foods made in factories are bad for us.

I confess that I’ve adopted more than a few of the last decade’s food fads. I blend kale into my breakfast smoothie every morning, gobble raspberries and blueberries on a regular basis and found myself buying a tub of curcumin extract after listening to the Jeremy Vine programme on Radio 2 one afternoon (several people rang in to say it had cured them of joint pain, and I have a bad back – but it has yet to work for me).

I’m clearly not qualified to have an unbiased opinion on superfoods, so I asked local expert, Dr Deborah Pufal from Huddersfield University, what she thinks. Deborah, a senior lecturer in nutrition with years of research and teaching experience behind her, agrees with Anthony Warner that we need to be a great deal more sceptical about superfoods. But she understands the growing anxiety about dementia.

She says there’s ‘scant’ evidence that superfoods can affect the brain lesions that cause dementia and added: “And anyway, you can’t just say that one food will prevent the condition. There’s the issue of how much do you eat? Do you have to eat it every day? How many blueberries are needed? How much rosemary?”

Dr Deborah Pufal course leader for nutrition and health at the University of Huddersfield.

But there is a wide body of research evidence that shows healthy, balanced diets, with lots of fruits and vegetables, protect against heart disease and cancer. And because adopting a healthy diet reduces obesity and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes – both conditions linked to an increased chance of getting dementia – then she believes that’s what we should all be aiming for. “Like obesity, it’s about changing behaviours. It’s about being informed,” she added.

Deborah argues that we should also be looking at early prevention of conditions such as Alzheimer’s. She explained: “The first two years of a baby’s life are critical for brain development, so is a woman’s diet during pregnancy. It’s vitally important that you get enough Omega 3 fatty acids, which are involved in brain development. These long chain fatty acids transfer from the mother to the foetus. We don’t really focus on prevention in this country.”

Mothers-to-be, she says, should ensure they’re getting enough Omega 3. Fish oils are the best, most bio-available, source but, unfortunately, it’s now known that many marine fish have high levels of contaminants and current advice is that we should eat no more than two portions a week. Alternatives are soya and linseed oils, walnuts and enriched eggs.

Joanne Mansley of Olivers fruit and vegetable stall at brook St Market with a box she prepared with some of the fruit and vegetables which the stall stock for their customers.

Deborah is also concerned that widespread rejection of dairy products by young people is having a detrimental effect on consumption of Vitamin D, calcium and other important nutrients. “Children and young girls are not consuming enough milk and dairy products because it’s viewed as fattening – but if you go down the soft drinks aisle in a supermarket it’s packed with much more fattening sugary drinks,” she said. “In this country there is an issue over getting enough Vitamin D, which is made from exposure to sunlight. We’re learning much more about the importance of Vitamin D for all sorts of things.”

Deborah also warns against a dependance on supplements. She says: “You need to have whole fruit and vegetables to get the full benefits: that also means smoothies (made from whole fruit and vegetables) not juices. You don’t see the same positive effects in a supplement. In fact, some supplements may even have a harmful effect.”

As for superfoods, she added: “It’s your overall diet and lifestyle that counts, that and environmental factors. I’m quite cynical about claims made for superfoods.”