Blueberries: A god among fruits
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I love this time of year - it's when the best fresh blueberries are available (their season is May-October). I thought I would make a thread in their honour, with all the benefits they offer, because they have so many they really shouldn't be overlooked in a healthy diet. Plus they taste amazing.
Blueberries are the fruits of a shrub that belong to the heath family, which includes the cranberry and bilberry. Blueberries grow in clusters and range in size from that of a small pea to a marble. They are deep in color, ranging from blue to maroon to purple-black, and feature a white-gray waxy "bloom" that covers the surface serving as a protective coat. The skin surrounds a semi-transparent flesh that encases tiny seeds.
They are excellent for inclusion into our diets because they are quite low in calories compared to the benefits they offer us, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
An Antioxidant Powerhouse
Packed with antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, blueberries neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer. Anthocyanins, the blue-red pigments found in blueberries, improve the integrity of support structures in the veins and entire vascular system. Anthocyanins have been shown to enhance the effects of vitamin C, improve capillary integrity, and stabilize the collagen matrix (the ground substance of all body tissues). They work their protective magic by preventing free-radical damage, inhibiting enzymes from cleaving the collagen matrix, and directly cross-linking with collagen fibers to form a more stable collagen matrix.
Cardioprotective Action
While wine, particularly red wine, is touted as cardioprotective since it is a good source of antioxidant anthocyanins, a recent study found that blueberries deliver 38% more of these free radical fighters. In this study, published in the August 2003 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers found that a moderate drink (about 4 ounces) of white wine contained .47 mmol of free radical absorbing antioxidants, red wine provided 2.04 mmol, and a wine made from highbush blueberries delivered 2.42 mmol of these protective plant compounds.(October 1, 2003)
Cholesterol-lowering Pterostilbene
Pterostilbene (pronounced TARE-oh-STILL-bean), a powerful antioxidant compound found in blueberries, which is already known to fight cancer, may also help lower cholesterol.
In a study using rat liver cells, scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service compared the cholesterol-lowering effects of pterostilbene to those of ciprofibrate, a lipid-lowering drug, and resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes with a chemical structure similar to pterostilbene that has been shown to help fight cancer and heart disease.
They based their comparison on each compound's ability to activate PPAR-alpha (short for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha). The PPARs are a family of receptors on cells all throughout the body that are involved in the absorption of compounds into cells for use in energy production. PPAR-alpha is crucial for the metabolism of lipids, including cholesterol. Pterostilbene was as effective as ciprofibrate and outperformed resveratrol in activating PPAR-alpha. The take away message: turn up your cholesterol burning machinery by eating more blueberries, grapes and and cranberries. (January 14, 2005)
A Visionary Fruit
Extracts of bilberry (a variety of blueberry) have been shown in numerous studies to improve nighttime visual acuity and promote quicker adjustment to darkness and faster restoration of visual acuity after exposure to glare. This research was conducted to evaluate claims of bilberry's beneficial effects on night vision made by British Air Force pilots during World War II who regularly consumed bilberry preserves before their night missions.
Protection against Macular Degeneration
Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the June 2004 issue of the Archives of Opthamology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.
In this study, which involved 77,562 women and 40,866 men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARM, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. Food intake information was collected periodically for up to 18 years for women and 12 years for men.
A Better Brain with Blueberries
In animal studies, researchers have found that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Researchers found that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging rats, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats.
Protect the Brain from Damage After a Stroke
Eating plenty of blueberries may significantly lessen brain damage from strokes and other neurological disorders, suggests a study published in the May 2005 issue of the Journal of Experimental Neurology.
Neuroscientists at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that rats fed diets enriched with blueberries, spinach or spirulina (a type of algae) suffered the loss of much fewer brain cells and recovered significantly more of their ability to move following a stroke.
The researchers studied four groups of rats. All were fed equal amounts of food for one month. The control (untreated) group ate chow only. A second group was given rat chow supplemented with blueberries, the third got chow with spinach, and the fourth received chow with spirulina.
After four weeks, an ischemic stroke with reperfusion was induced in the rats. (An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery, cutting off the supply of oxygen to the brain with the result that brain cells can be severely damaged and die). When the clot is cleared, the pent up oxygenated blood quickly rushes back in. Known as reperfusion, this restoration of blood flow can also result in brain damage as it causes cellular swelling, edema and the production of free radicals.
Rats given blueberry or spinach along with their chow, however, were protected: the size of the area of their brains damaged by the stroke was half that seen in the brains of the control rats.
Rats fed spirulina-enriched diets did even better; their stroke lesions were 75 per cent smaller than those of controls. In addition, but not surprisingly, rats pretreated with the blueberry, spinach or spirulina diets also showed regained more of their abilities to move after the stroke than rats in the control group. Neuroscientists think the reason for the improved outcome in blueberry, spinach or algae-treated rats is the same as that demonstrated in previous University of Florida/Veterans Administration research, which revealed that diets enriched with blueberries, spinach or spirulina reversed normal age-related declines in memory and learning in old rats. All these foods are exceptionally rich in antioxidants, which neuroscientists believe able to largely counteract the burst of free radicals triggered in brain cells by an ischemic stroke. It is this sudden excessive production of free radicals that damages the lipids, proteins and DNA in brain cells, causing their death.
Protection Against Cancer
In addition to their powerful anthocyanins, blueberries contain another antioxidant compound called ellagic acid, which blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. In a study of 1,271 elderly people in New Jersey, those who ate the most strawberries (another berry that contains ellagic acid) were three times less likely to develop cancer than those who ate few or no strawberries. In addition to containing ellagic acid, blueberries are high in the soluble fiber pectin, which has been shown to lower cholesterol and to prevent bile acid from being transformed into a potentially cancer-causing form.
Healthier Elimination
Blueberries can help relieve both diarrhea and constipation. In addition to soluble and insoluble fiber, blueberries also contain tannins, which act as astringents in the digestive system to reduce inflammation. Blueberries also promote urinary tract health. Blueberries contain the same compounds found in cranberries that help prevent or eliminate urinary tract infections. In order for bacteria to infect, they must first adhere to the mucosal lining of the urethra and bladder. Components found in cranberry and blueberry juice reduce the ability of E. coli, the bacteria that is the most common cause of urinary tract infections, to adhere.
Blueberries work in so many things. You can freeze them with cottage cheese to make a sort of ice cream, or eat them in yoghurt, or freeze them in yoghurt (my personal favourite). They also go really well in oats.
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