Blueberries: a Powerful Antioxidant Fruit

You have probably heard that blueberries are an antioxidant fruit with many benefits for the body.

What are antioxidants?

I have done research and asked several people, “what exactly are antioxidants?” Most of the answers I have gotten would require a degree in biology to explain (and, unfortunately, that was the class in college that I struggled in the most). So, I have decided to try and explain it in a way that I can easily understand without simplifying it too much.

Antioxidants are a group of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that act as tiny heroes in our body fighting off the bad guys also known as free radicals.

Our bodies are made up of atoms that contain protons, neutrons, and electrons.

The free radicals are formed when our cells are exposed to certain substances (pollution, smoke, drugs, alcohol and pesticides to name a few).

They are also formed when our body performs various metabolic processes (for instance, using stored fat to create energy), and when we eat a poor diet.

When the free radicals are formed, they steal electrons through a process called oxidation.

The molecules attach themselves to the cells in our body and weaken them, leading to a variety of degenerative or immune-deficient disorders. Antioxidants have the power to give up electrons and still remain stable. This stops the ruthless free radical chain reaction. That is why antioxidants are called electron donors.

They are not only able to give an electron to a free radical and satisfy its balance (so it will stop robbing us of ours), but it also gives electrons back to a tissue that has already been robbed.

This allows the tissue to re-balance its electrical charge (the charge that occurs when the atoms are whole). This helps the damaged cells to repair or heal the damage caused by the free radical.

So, antioxidants are extremely helpful in the protecting the body. Blueberries are high in antioxidants making them a delicious, healthy antioxidant fruit.

There are more than one type of antioxidant in blueberries. Some of these include:

Anthocyanin 

Pterostilbene 

Ellagic Acid 

Resveratrol

Anthocyanins: Powerful Blue Antioxidant

Anthocyanins (pronounced ann-tho-sigh-ann-ins) are a powerful antioxidant in the found in the pigment that gives blueberries their beautiful blue color. This phytochemical pigment is one in the group of bioflavonoids that help to protect the berries from oxidation. Research shows that this oxidation fighting power is extremely beneficial for humans as well.

In humans, free radicals cause the oxidation and aging of cells and tissues. These free radicals cause damage and even death of important parts of the body.

The benefits of this antioxidant are numerous. Some of these benefits include neutralizing the free radical damage to the cells and tissues that can cause cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer. Research has shown that these magical pigments can stop free radical damage and prevent damage to cells and tissues in both fat-soluble and water-soluble environments.

Another benefit of this antioxidant is that it helps your body by enhancing the effects of vitamin C. It also has shown to improve blood vessel integrity and helps the circulatory system. Current research is looking at the ability of this antioxidant to prevent damage to cartilage which protects your joints and prevents arthritis.

This particular bioflavoniod has even more antioxidant power than the other antioxidant vitamins. In fact, they are estimated to have fifty times the antioxidant activity of both vitamin C and vitamin E.

Pterostilbene Has Amazing Health Benefits

You may not have heard of pterostilbene (pronounced tero-STILL-bean), but it will soon be as common to hear about this as it is other nutrients you hear about. This antioxidant is growing in popularity as many new benefits are being discovered. These benefits include major benefits for the body: from preventing cancer to protecting the heart.

An article in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of Agricultural Research Magazine was written about the research done on this antioxidant. The research used in this article was done by Agnes M. Rimando, a USDA-ARS researcher. This article is titled, "Pterostilibene's Healthy Potential." It can be found on the USDA site.

Research shows that this antioxidant has anti-cancer ability for a few cancer lines. Studies showed they are especially powerful for fighting breast cancer. These studies were conducted by Rimando in 2002 showed that this antioxidant was powerful in fighting cancer cells in the mammary glands of rats. Further research showed that this anti-cancer benefit also had the powerful effect in humans.

Other benefits of this powerful antioxidant are to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Rimando and her colleagues did research comparing this natural antioxidant to the effects of ciprofibrate, a commercial drug that lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

The surprising results were that the natural antioxidant worked as well or better than the prescription medication. It also does not have the side effects of the medication such as muscle pain and nausea.

 

Ellagic Acid: A Powerful Antioxidant Found in Blueberries

Ellagic acid is one of many nutrients found in blueberries that is a powerful antioxidant with anti-cancer and anti-aging benefits. It is also known as benzoaric acid, eleagic acid, elagostasine, gallogen. It is one of the phytochemicals found in berries like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and pomegranates.

You have probably heard of this nutrient because it has been the focus of many research studies. The most commonly reported research, done mostly on animals and in the lab, shows that this antioxidant can fight and prevent cancer.

It prevents cancer and stops the formation of cancerous tumors caused by certain carcinogens. Eleagic acid has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancers of the breast, skin, esophagus, lung and other tumor forming cancers.

Lab tests show that this antioxidant causes cell death in cancer cells. It works by binding with cancer cells and making them inactive.

One study done on humans showed that the side effects of chemotherapy were reduced in men with prostate cancer.

Eleagic acid has also been shown to have antiviral and antibacterial activities.

 

Resveratrol Fights Free Radicals

Resveratrol has been studied and shown to be a powerful antioxidant in fighting free radical damage, fighting bad cholesterol, inhibiting tumor growth, and much more. This is one of the nutrients found in blueberries that you have probably heard of because it has been the focus of major international studies.

One study came about when scientists researched an unusual finding in France. Researchers found that French people eat very fattening diets but had very low levels of cardiovascular disease. They found that the wine they were drinking was high in certain nutrients found in berries that made the wine. This nutrient which is also found in blueberries is the nutrient that was most effective in fighting cardiovascular disease.

Another benefit of this free radical fighter is that it has the ability to kill cancer cells. Invasive, cancerous tumors must develop new blood vessels to fuel their rapid growth. This antioxidant has been found to inhibit the development of the new blood vessels.

This antioxidant also fights aging by activating what is referred to as a "Longevity gene." This helps to keep the DNA of cells intact and working properly. One of the causes of aging and even death is that cells become older and are unable to perfectly replicate DNA. The activated longevity gene helps the DNA to replicate perfectly more often and reduces cell death.

Another benefit of this antioxidant is that it fights free radicals without damaging healthy cells. This is very important in preventing and fighting all stages of cancer. Chemotherapy is used frequently in fighting cancer, but it is unable to stop from destroying healthy cells. It is very beneficial to just fight the free radicals and not damage healthy cells.

This is just some of the research that has been done. It appears that this amazing nutrient will prove to have many more health benefits as studies continue.

 

Radical Resistance

Every second of your life, your cells are bombarded by dangerous particles called free radicals. In a split second, they can alter your DNA in ways that cause cancer. Or change LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) so it sticks to artery walls. Or damage collagen and make skin wrinkle-prone. Over time, changes such as these accelerate your aging.

 

Fortunately, you can fight back. The trick is to load your diet with antioxidants--the natural zappers of free radicals--by eating lots of fruits and vegetables. And that's where the incredible blueberries come in. The amazing little blueberry has emerged as nature's number one source of antioxidants among fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

In tests at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, blueberries beat out 39 other common fruits and vegetables in antioxidant power--even such heavyweights as kale, strawberries, spinach, and broccoli. Much of that power comes literally "out of the blue"--from anthocyanins, the pigments that give blueberries their deep blue hue. Blueberries are bursting with them.

Blueberry Rx

So impressed is Ronald Prior, PhD, head of the USDA Phytochemical Laboratory at Tufts and the scientist who discovered the secret power of blueberries, that he now recommends adding 1/2 cup of blueberries to your diet every day--a far cry from our current average intake of about 2 1/2 cups a year!

 

"With 1/2 cup of blueberries, you can just about double the amount of antioxidants most Americans get in one day. If you want to slow down the free radical aging process, blueberries are the leader of the pack," he says. "At our house, we always keep blueberries in the freezer."

 

However, Dr. Prior urges you not to choose only fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants. Tomatoes, for example, are fairly low in antioxidants but are a rich source of lycopene, which has been linked to lower rates of prostate cancer and heart disease. The best advice? Eat blueberries in addition to the fruits and vegetables you already eat, not to replace them.

Miracle Food for Your Brain?

The most intriguing news about blueberries is this: There's a possibility they can actually reverse the loss of short-term memory that happens as we age, says James Joseph, PhD, a USDA scientist at Tufts.

 

Dr. Joseph explains that as rats age, they forget how to find their way through mazes that they previously had learned to navigate. But when he and his colleagues supplemented the diets of some older rats with blueberry extract for two months, they actually improved their navigational skills in the same mazes. The rats' balance, coordination, and running speed also improved.

 

Though these results are still very preliminary, Dr. Joseph calls them "very exciting." The next step: to identify the compounds responsible for this effect and eventually test them in humans. Meantime, Dr. Joseph and his wife have begun eating blueberries regularly.

Urinary Tract Relief

Just like their cousin the cranberry, blueberries contain compounds that can prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to recent findings at the Rutgers Blueberry Cranberry Research Center in Chatsworth, NJ.

 

Called condensed tannins, they can keep the bacteria responsible for UTIs from attaching to the wall of your bladder, says Rutgers scientist Amy B. Howell, PhD. And yes, she eats blueberries. "In season, I eat a huge amount--maybe a pint a day."

Berry Good for the Eyes?

In Japan, blueberries are known as "the vision fruit"--reputed to help relieve eyestrain--and blueberry sales there have quadrupled in the last two years, says John Sauve, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Association of North America. That's due in part to research in Europe indicating that European blueberries (bilberries) can improve night vision and help eyes adjust to bright lights.

 

At Tufts, Dr. Prior plans to study the ability of blueberries to prevent macular degeneration, a disease of the retina and the leading cause of blindness in people over age 65.

Sweet, Quick, Versatile

Blueberries are really the no-work fruit--they require no pitting, peeling, coring, or cutting. And they are outrageously healthy. Best of all, their taste is a treat. Go blue!

 

You have probably heard about ORAC, but what does it mean?

This well-used acronym is short for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. I heard about this rating almost every time I turned on the t.v., so I needed to find out what it means.

Basically, it is a test tube analysis of the total antioxidant power of foods. It measures the ability of the food (or other biological matter) being tested to fight against free radicals. This test was created by researchers for the USDA at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. Scientists developed this new laboratory test to measure the oxygen radical absorption capacity of different foods and natural substances. It is now one of the most sensitive and reliable methods for measuring antioxidant capacity.

This test measures the time it takes for the antioxidant to inhibit free radicals. It also measures the scale or degree of the free radical inhibition.

This test is one of the most popular tests being used today to rank the antioxidant potential of foods. Recent USDA research and testing has listed blueberries as number one when this test was used to study popular fruits.

Wild blueberries are highest in anioxidant capacity per serving, compared with more than 20 other fruits. (Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52:4026-4037, 2004)

The study showed that a one-cup serving of Wild Blueberries had higher antioxidant capacity than a serving of other popular fruits such as cranberries, strawberries, prunes, raspberries, and even cultivated blueberries.

This recent research by the USDA is the most comprehensive study and uses the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity test because it is the most advanced way to study the power of antioxidants in various foods and substances.