Most people know blueberries help fight heart disease and cancer but there are a host of other benefits that are lesser known, a new survey finds.

Over the past few years, studies showing that people who eat blueberries have lower risks of heart disease and cancer have received wide publicity, but they also have lesser known benefits, including slowing aging, aiding vision, and improving memory, researchers note.

For instance, blueberries are rich in antioxidants that help slow aging.  In addition, memory experiments using mice have found that they also may improve memory, and other research has found that they also help people see better in the dark, studies show.

To find out how much consumer know about blueberries, a team from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., surveyed more than 2,000 people in 31 states mostly on the East Coast and in the Midwest -- to see what they know about the health benefits of blueberries.

Most of the respondents were aware that eating blueberries helps to lower cancer and heart disease, but less about the other benefits.  The survey also found that low-income people tend to know less about the general health benefits of blueberries, the researchers say.

The fact that cancer and heart diseases are the leading causes of death in America may have led to more personal research related to preventing the diseases, leading to the respondents being exposed to these findings more than other benefits, but events focusing on blueberries, such as tastings or u-picks, should be done to help widen awareness, they noted.