Blueberry Health Benefits

From research labs all across the country and the world, there is growing evidence that blueberries are an important part of a healthy diet.
Scientists have discovered many health benefits from eating blueberries. They are one of the richest sources of antioxidants of the fruits and vegetables that have been studied. Antioxidants are responsible in part for keeping us healthily and young. They help fight cell damaging “free radicals”. Free radicals are unstable substances that our bodies produce as we get older. They damage human cells and our DNA. US scientists have shown that the antioxidants contained in Blueberries help to slow the ageing process and reduce the risk of cancer.

Blueberries and Antioxidant Activity

Antioxidants are thought to help protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals and the chronic diseases associated with the aging process. Fresh fruits, including blueberries, and vegetables contain many of these naturally occurring antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E. Blueberries contain 14 mg of Vitamin C and 0.8 mg Vitamin E per 1 cup of blueberries. In addition, blueberries contain anthocyanins and phenolics that can also act as antioxidants.

# 1 Antioxidant Activity

In a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratory at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, researchers have found that blueberries rank #1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants help neutralize harmful by-products called “free radicals” that can lead to cancer and other age-related diseases. Anthocyanin - the pigment that makes blueberries blue - is thought to be responsible for this major health benefit.

Slowed age-related loss

In another USDA lab at Tufts University, neuroscientists discovered that feeding blueberries to laboratory rats slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity, a finding that has important implications for humans. Again, the high antioxidant activity of blueberries probably played a role.

Heart Health

Blueberries may reduce the build-up of so called “bad” cholesterol (LDL Cholesterol) that contributes to cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to scientists at the University of California at Davis. Once again, the antioxidants are believed to be the active component.

Urinary tract health

Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey have identified a compound in blueberries that promotes urinary tract health and reduces the risk of infection. It appears to work by preventing bacteria from adhering to the cells that line the walls of the urinary tract, constituting a biofilm that is very difficult to eradicate, even with antibiotics.

Nutrition

Blueberries are also low in sodium and high in dietary fiber and potassium - all this for only 40 calories per ½ cup serving!
Blueberries were prominent in Russian folk medicine, used as a preventative measure and cure for flux and other abdominal problems.

Native Americans used blueberry leaves in medicinal teas thought to be good for the blood and blueberry juice was used to treat coughs.

The blueberry is still prized for its antioxidant health benefits and as a laxative, as well as other folk remedies.

During World War II, British Royal Air Force pilots consumed bilberries (a blueberry relative), which purportedly improved their night vision. Later studies show a sound basis for this practice because blueberries are high in bioflavonoids which are used by the rods in the eye for night vision.

Eating blueberries slashes colon cancer risk

A compound found in blueberries shows promise of preventing colon cancer, according to a new study. Scientists at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted a joint study on animals, and found that the compound — called pterostilbene — lessened pre-cancerous lesions and inhibited genes involved in inflammation. Researchers presented the study at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in March.

“This study underscores the need to include more berries in the diet, especially blueberries,” said study leader Bandaru Reddy, Ph.D., a professor in the chemical biology department at Rutgers. Although the blueberry compound won’t cure colon cancer, it represents a strategy for preventing the disease naturally, said Reddy, who specializes in studying the relationship between nutrition and colon cancer.

The researchers studied 18 rats in which colon cancer had been induced in a manner similar to human colon cancer development. All of the animals were placed on a balanced diet, with half of the animals’ diets supplemented with pterostilbene. After eight weeks, the rats fed pterostilbene had 57 percent fewer pre-cancerous colon lesions compared to the control group. The researchers also noted that pterostilbene inhibited certain genes involved in inflammation, considered a colon cancer risk factor.

Berries protect the nervous system from radiation damage

A new study by Tufts University researchers has found that following a diet rich in berries may slow down the aging process of the brain and keep it sharp.
A team of researchers led by Barbara Shukitt-Hale studied a group of 60 young male rats by splitting them up into three groups. The first group was fed a diet with no berries, the second was fed a diet with strawberry extract and the third group was fed a diet with blueberry extract.
The entire group was put through tests that included a maze test and a chemical test for dopamine. Low levels of dopamine point to poor memory and attention, and other poor mental skills.
The researchers found that the were on a diet with no berries performed the worst in the maze of the three groups, and also tested the lowest for dopamine levels. The rats that were on a diet with berry extract performed as well as the control group .

Sources: Newstarget, Blueberry.com, About.com, BC Blueberry

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