BLUEBERRY BENEFITS
Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, blueberry continues to top the charts as one of the best choices to
include in a healthy diet.
Beside, blueberry is a rich source of vitamin C and fiber; it also contains two important
compounds- anthocyanin and ellagic acid. Anthocyanin, a flavonoid, offers a rich blue-purple color
to blueberry and contribute its antioxidant activities. In general, the darker the color of the fruit or
vegetable, the higher in flavonoids it is. While, ellagic acid has been shown to help lower the risk
of cancer. People always believe that blueberries have benefits on wound healing,age-related
macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, chronic inflammation,
Alzheimer's, heart disease, arthritis and cancers.

What have researchers found about blueberries?

Diets rich in phenolic compounds may be associated with lower risks of several chronic diseases
including cancer. Researchers from University of Georgia, Tifton extracted polyphenols from three
blueberry cultivars, Briteblue, Tifblue, and Powderblue and then separated the polyphenols into
phenolic acids, tannins, flavonols, and anthocyanins. They found all fractions including the extract
having antiproliferation activities and the anthocyanin fractions had the greatest antiproliferation
effect in a study using HT-29 and Caco-2 cells. Anthocyanin fractions also resulted in 2-7 times
increases in DNA fragmentation, indicating the induction of apoptosis. [1]

Free radicals are involved in neurodegenerative disorders, such as ischemia and aging.
Treatment with diets enriched with blueberry has been shown to reduce neurodegenerative
changes in aged animals. Researchers from National Institute on Drug Abuse further found that
blueberries have neuro-protective effects in focal ischemic brain including lowering the risk for
ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis and cerebral infarction. [2] Researchers from University
of Prince Edward Island, Canada, found that blueberry could decrease risk of ischemic stroke in
a study of rats. [6]

Does fresh blueberry have more anti-oxidants than dehydrated or frozen blueberry?

Measurement of the antioxidant activity of anthocyanin extracts from blueberries showed there
was no significant difference between fresh, dried, and frozen blueberries. [3] However, cooking
can destroy resveratrol, a chemo-preventive compound. After 18 min of heating at 190 degrees
C, between 17 and 46% of the resveratrol had found to degrade in the various Vaccinium
species. Therefore, the resveratrol content of baked or heat-processed blueberries or bilberries
should be expected to be lower than in the raw fruit. [4]

Is raw blueberry always safe?

Raw blueberry is safe in general. However, there was an outbreak of hepatitis A associated with
consumption of raw blueberries in New Zealand. The presence of hepatitis A virus on the
blueberry was confirmed by DNA hybridization and sequencing of PCR products. [5]

What shall you do next?

Get down to the farmers market and pick up some berries. WASH THEM WELL. Eat them fresh,
cook them or freeze them for later - they retain all their goodness whether frozen or cooked.

If you don't want to eat raw blueberry, you can consider this:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put blueberries into a baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice
and rind and half the nutmeg. In a bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Stir in the oats and
remaining nutmeg. Spread this over the blueberries and bake until hot through and golden. If, you
feel the calorie content of this dessert is high for you, you may consider blueberry supplements or
extracts.

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REFERENCES:

[1] Cancer Cell Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Sep 7;53(18):7320-7329. [2] Wang Y et al, Dietary
supplementation with blueberries, spinach, or spirulina reduces ischemic brain damage. Exp Neurol. 2005 May;193(1):75-84. [3]
Lohachoompol V et al, The Change of Total Anthocyanins in Blueberries and Their Antioxidant Effect After Drying and Freezing. J Biomed
Biotechnol. 2004;2004(5):248-252. [4] Lyons MM et al, Resveratrol in raw and baked blueberries and bilberries. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Sep
24;51(20):5867-70. [5] Calder L et al, An outbreak of hepatitis A associated with consumption of raw blueberries. Epidemiol Infect. 2003
Aug;131(1):745-51. [6] Sweeney MI et al, Feeding rats diets enriched in lowbush blueberries for six weeks decreases ischemia-induced brain
damage. Nutr Neurosci. 2002 Dec;5(6):427-31.
Discuss with your doctor before taking any alternative medicine. This article is for
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