Health Headline

Promising Health Benefits of Wild Blueberries Include Anti-aging, Cancer Prevention, Heart & Vision Health

Recent discoveries attribute potential health benefits to antioxidants such as anthocyanin, anti-inflammatories and other natural compounds found in the deep blue pigment of Wild Blueberries. Ongoing studies are focused on:

Antioxidant Activity

Cellular Antioxidant Activity New research shows that Wild Blueberries have the highest cellular antioxidant activity of selected fruits tested. Lead scientist Rui Hai Liu, Ph.D. used the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay — a new assay developed by the Cornell University Department of Food Science — to determine antioxidant activity of antioxidants, foods, and dietary supplements. Wild Blueberries performed better in cells than cranberries, apples, red and green grapes. Antioxidant have been linked with anti-aging, anti-cancer and heart-health benefits.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2007; 55 (22), 8896-8907

Fighting Oxidative Stress USDA scientists recently concluded that eating Wild Blueberries and other antioxidant-rich foods at every meal helps prevent oxidative stress. This study advances antioxidant research by moving beyond the measurement of antioxidants in foods to actual examination of the performance of specific fruits against oxidative stress in the body. Oxidative stress is linked to chronic diseases and aging.
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2007 Vol. 26, No. 2, 170-181

#1 in Antioxidants According to recently published USDA research findings, Wild Blueberries are highest in antioxidant capacity per serving, compared with more than 20 other fruits. Using a lab testing procedure called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), USDA researcher Ronald Prior, Ph.D., showed that a one-cup serving of Wild Blueberries had more antioxidant capacity than a serving of cranberries, strawberries, plums, raspberries and even cultivated blueberries. Antioxidants have been linked with anti-aging, anti-cancer and heart-health benefits.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2004, 52: 4026-4037

Anti-Aging

Dr. James Joseph, Ph. D., from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging has been studying the anti-inflammatory potential of the polyphenols in blueberries, since chronic inflammation at the cellular level is at the heart of many degenerative age-related diseases. When rats with neuronal lesions were fed a blueberry-supplemented diet, not only did they perform better in cognitive tests, the concentration of several substances in the brain that can trigger an inflammatory response was significantly reduced. The polyphenols in blueberries appear to inhibit the production of these inflammatory mediators.
Nutritional Neuroscience, 2008 (In Press)

James Joseph, Ph.D., and his team at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston report that a diet of blueberries may improve motor skills and reverse the short-term memory loss that comes with aging and age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. USDA animal trials showed improved navigational skills after a two-month diet of blueberry extract. Although other fruits and vegetables were studied, only blueberries were effective in improving motor skills.
Nutritional Neuroscience, 6:153-162, 2003
Journal of Neuroscience, September 15, 1999, 19(18); 8114-8121

Cancer Prevention

Studies conducted by Mary Ann Lila, Ph.D., Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, indicate that compounds in Wild Blueberries may be effective inhibitors of both the initiation and promotion stages of cancer.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52:6442, 2004
Journal of Food Science, Vol. 65, No. 2, 2000

Urinary Tract Health

At the Rutgers University Blueberry Cranberry Research Center, Amy Howell, Ph.D., showed that blueberries, like cranberries, contain compounds that prevent the bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections from attaching to the bladder wall.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52:6442, 2004
New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 339, Number 15. 1998

Protection Against Stroke

Animal trials conducted by Marva Sweeney Nixon and her team at the University of Prince Edward Island, PEI, Canada, indicate that consumption of Wild Blueberries confers protection to the brain against damage from ischemic stroke.
Nutritional Neuroscience, 2002 Dec.; 5(6): 427-31

Heart Health

New research shows that blueberries may support cardiovascular health. A research team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada led by Wilhelmina Kalt, Ph.D., found that blueberry supplementation reduced plasma cholesterol levels.
British Journal of Nutrition, 2007, Dec.; 1-9

Blueberries may reduce the build up of so called "bad" cholesterol that contributes to cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to scientists at the University of California at Davis.  Antioxidants are believed to be the active component.
USDA Agricultural Research Service, July 2004
Food Navigator, August 2004

New research by Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, Ph.D., and her team at the University of Maine, Orono, concludes that a diet of Wild Blueberries may reduce risk from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Animal studies suggest that Wild Blueberries have the potential to decrease the vulnerability of heart blood vessels to oxidative stress and inflammation in animal models. This builds on previous work by the Klimis-Zacas team, which demonstrated the positive effect of a Wild Blueberry-based diet on animal-model blood vessel function.
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2006 Feb; 17(2): 109-16
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2005 Mar; 8(1): 8-13

Vision Health

Research around the world has indicated that the anthocyanin content in blueberries may improve night vision and prevent tired eyes. Several European studies documented the relationship between bilberries, a European cousin of blueberries, and improved eyesight. Japanese researchers showed that blueberries helped ease eye fatigue.

New & Promising

Two new areas currently being explored include: