Research Archives - Page 2 of 8

Tiny but Mighty: How the Little-Known Wild Blueberry Became an Antioxidant Superstar

We’ve come a long way in fully appreciating the health benefits of the foods we eat. It’s not that we haven’t always cared, but until relatively recently, the science wasn’t there to back up the health story. Back in the 1920s and ‘30s the nutritional value of Wild Blueberries was anecdotal. We knew that native Americans used them widely (which is certainly a compelling endorsement), we also knew they were used to fuel soldiers in the Civil War. But there was no national narrative extolling the benefits of wild food. This started to change in the 1960s when Euell Gibbons published his acclaimed book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus. However, until this century, there was limited science and limited understanding of the role that wild plants played in the human diet.

Over the last two decades, the narrative and the science of foods has merged, and it has also become paramount. Consumers want to know the story of their food, including where it comes from. We want to know how and why it’s healthy. It was in this fertile environment that the Wild Blueberry story became possible. The tale is quite extraordinary of how a relatively unknown Wild Blueberry crop in Maine and eastern Canada went from being a small, beloved, and tasty annual phenomenon, to being understood as one of the healthiest fruits in North America. The explosion in popularity of the Wild Blueberry involves a confluence of many forces, including the invention of IQF freezing in the 1960s, broader and better distribution of food, the advancement of science aimed at understanding the health benefits of Wild Blueberries, and a population of Americans demanding healthy foods.

How the science of Wild Blueberries was advanced

In 1996, on their way back to Maine from a meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a small group of Wild Blueberry industry experts – including David Yarborough, Phd., Wild Blueberry Specialist at the University of Maine, and Susan Davis MS, RD, advisor to the Wild Blueberry Commission – hatched the idea of an annual summit that would bring together top scientists from around the world to share research and collaborate. Davis had to sell the idea to her executive director. “This kind of gathering was not standard in the industry and was certainly not in the budget,” she recalls. “But when I passed the idea by my executive director, he wholeheartedly agreed.”

That first year, the summit hosted 12 researchers. “We met in Bar Harbor and called ourselves the Wild Blueberry Health Research Summit,” recalls Davis. “We didn’t know if the idea would be successful, since a lot of researchers don’t collaborate, they compete.”

That was 20 years ago. Since then, the group has expanded to 30 researchers from some of the world’s leading research universities. Many have been credited with some of the most groundbreaking blueberry studies, including:

Antioxidant Research
Brain Health and Cognitive Research
Cancer Research
Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Research
Gut Health Research
Heart Health Research
Metabolism Research

“The antioxidant health story was virtually unknown when we began, yet it has become one of the most powerful health narratives of our time,” says Kit Broihier, MS, RD, LD, current nutrition advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (who now organizes the Health Research Summit after Susan Davis retired). “The antioxidant breakthrough was the beginning of a movement to understand the critical role that naturally occurring phytochemicals in plants play in the human diet. It’s led to a growing body of research that will bring even greater scientific understanding of how these tiny berries can help make a big impact on human health,” said Broihier.

The antioxidant breakthrough

Among the initial group of researchers to attend the summit was celebrated scientist Dr. Ronald Prior, who conducted the initial research applying the lab test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) to study the antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables. “This gathering was the first of its kind among food commodity groups, and it’s important to remember that our understanding of the nutritional benefits of blueberries was quite limited at the time,” notes Dr. Prior.

The ORAC test was a game-changer for the Wild Blueberry industry because it identified that on a fresh weight basis, Wild Blueberries contained more total antioxidant capacity than 20 other fruits and veggies, including cranberries, strawberries, plums, raspberries and even cultivated blueberries. Since that time, Dr. Prior has received numerous awards and recognition for his groundbreaking work.

“The Wild Blueberry Health Research Summit is special,” said Dr. Prior, “because it is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of scientists who are actively involved in research devoted solely to examining the extraordinary health benefits of Wild Blueberries.”

This week the Wild Blueberry Health Research Summit scientists are celebrating 20 years of collaboration and study of the health benefits of Wild Blueberries. We wish them a joyous and memorable weekend, and we thank them for helping all Americans – young and old – understand the amazing and powerful health benefits of eating Wild Blueberries.

Natural Mood Boosting Foods + Wild Blueberry and Chocolate Skillet Pancake Recipe

I don’t know about you, but my mood always takes a turn for the better when I look out my window and see flowers and grass instead of ice and snow. Spring is certainly a mood-booster, but the changing seasons don’t always give you the feel good fuel you need and I’ve got great news to share with you on the food front!

Exciting new research has just been released, revealing that consuming Wild Blueberries, a flavonoid-rich food, may significantly boost mood and help prevent depression in young people. In the first fully controlled double-blind research study examining the effects of flavonoids on mood in young people, it’s suggested that including flavonoids as part of a healthy diet might prevent low mood and depression (in addition to their numerous previously proven health benefits).

The key behind the mood boosting powers of Wild Blueberries is in the flavonoids. Wild Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid that gives Wild Blueberries their deep blue pigment. Anthocyanins are long known to be heart healthy and cancer preventative, and this new research now adds mood-boosting to the list of benefits!

Tons of research over the past decade has documented the positive effects of flavonoids on brain health, suggesting improvements in attention and memory and preventing age-related mental decline. Although research on the association between diet and mental health is in the early stages, the impact of Wild Blueberries on mood are exciting additions to their many other health benefits – and just gives us more reason to enjoy these delicious little berries!

Which brings me to one of my new favorite mood-boosting recipes: Wild Blueberry Chocolate Skillet Pancakes. In addition to the mood-boosting properties of Wild Blueberries, the addition of dark chocolate boosts these pancakes even more. Dark chocolate includes flavanols that boost mood by raising circling levels of serotonin – the “feel good” neurotransmitter. Plus, let’s be honest, pancakes are good-mood food in and of themselves, right?

As it gets warmer and brighter outside, getting out of bed doesn’t feel like as much of a chore as it does in the winter (and my family never complains when I’m making pancakes!). These cast- iron skillet pancakes are not your average hotcakes. First off, they’re a triple whammy of mood-boosting goodness: juicy Wild Blueberries, rich dark chocolate, and cake. That’s right, these pancakes are more cake, than pan. You start with a sprinkle of fruit at the bottom of the skillet and then add your batter and bake. To serve, simply flip the pancake over to reveal a luscious layer of delicious Wild Blueberries that have baked into the bottom. Absolutely divine!

Trust me, if the spring weather doesn’t get you out bed, these pancakes sure will.

On Earth Day, we look at the food we eat through the lens of water usage

How many gallons of water does it take to produce a pound of food? The answers will amaze you.

Back To Second Grade. Do you remember studying clouds in elementary school? Teachers loved showing us those charts of water evaporating from the sea, turning into clouds, falling as rain in the mountains, and running across the plains back to the sea. What they forgot to draw were the little human beings.

Water usage is one of the fastest-growing concerns in the eco-movement today, and what we choose to eat has a very large influence on what happens to water as it moves through its cycle. Every plant sown and every animal birthed for our dining pleasure impacts the planet’s resources through its own cycle of growing, processing, packaging, transporting, and preparing. Yet to those of us in the industrial world, food comes from a package rather than a sea, cloud, mountain, or plain. Small wonder that we tend to look at food through the narrow lens of our own sustenance or pleasure.

Craving a nacho chip? It takes almost 140 gallons of water to produce one pound of corn. Water is also needed to clean the processing equipment, produce the oil for frying, and make the packaging. How about a nice steak? If that pound of corn is used as cattle feed, additional water is required for cleaning and processing it. The corn needs to be transported to the feedlots, which uses gasoline, which takes three quarts of water to produce enough fuel to travel each mile. Each pound of beef we consume takes around 1,700 gallons of water to produce. Care for wine with dinner? Each grape requires about a third of a gallon to produce. A pound of tree nuts represents 1,565 gallons of water, a pound of pork 660 gallons, and a pound of cheese 473 gallons. These and other facts are available in the Menus of Change Annual Report.

Seven billion people will continue to need to eat, of course. But today’s sustainability movement takes many of its cues from natural systems to produce food that is economically, environmentally, and socially more responsible – and recognizes that humans are active participants through the choices we make. That’s one of the reasons that wild products are growing so quickly in popularity. They developed as part of a natural system, growing on their own accord year after year with little manipulation from humans.

Wild Blueberries emerged on the desolate plain (aptly named The Barrens) following the retreat of the glaciers and so were naturally selected to survive in nutrient and drought-challenged conditions. Today they continue to flourish in the humid climate of Maine and Eastern Canada where storm systems from the west and south converge to provide ample rainfall. The lowbush blueberry plants only require irrigation during dry spells – usually in August – when there is less than the required one-inch of rain each week.

According to David Bell of Cherryfield Foods, a harvester and packer of Wild Blueberries in Cherryfield, Maine, “Many fruits and vegetables are grown in locations that are too dry for natural survival, so much more irrigation water is needed for survival. In contrast, Wild Blueberries are irrigated supplementally to address short-term dry spells during the growing season.”

Bell also points out that the supplemental water is sourced from wells that were installed starting in the 1990s as an offshoot of another eco-project: restoring the Atlantic Salmon population living in the rivers where agricultural water was once sourced. The wells are replenished by rains in late fall and early spring and are placed away from the rivers for minimal impact.

As part of their unique evolution, any given field of Wild Blueberries may have thousands of clones with an extensive underground rhizome system. Seventy to eighty percent of the plant actually lives under ground, spreading horizontally in the few inches of organic matter atop the sand and gravel of glacial soil below. This allows the plants to use every bit of surface water available while soaking rains travel onto the aquifer below. The Native American practice of burning the plants to the ground each year gave way to mowing (or pruning) of the plants to the height of a tall lawn. This pruning maximizes organic matter retention while reducing the atmospheric effects of the smoke.

Evolution also makes for great eating and good business. Wild-sourced foods grow in very specific places for very specific reasons, and as a result, they produce very specific flavors – described as terroir. Wild salmon returning to the Copper River in Alaska each year not only create a market frenzy, but they command a premium price. Pine nuts from the Southwest are prized for the same reason. The Wild Blueberry Barrens produce a small fruit with the most intense flavor burst and massive antioxidant levels. Now that’s reason to celebrate!

Does a Wild Blue Diet Bring Brain Health Benefits?

Can’t remember where you glasses are? What was the name of the dental hygienist? Darn it, what was the name of that spice I needed again! Everyone feels forgetful once in a while. Being somewhat “forgetful” is normal and could become increasingly more common as we grow older—even for healthy adults. However, for some people, advancing age brings more serious cognitive changes that can greatly impact quality of life, safety and overall health.

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125892716@N05/14606667655

This month marks National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, and according to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., and there is no cure for it. Of course, not all age-related cognitive changes are signs of Alzheimer’s disease, nor are they all as serious, thankfully. Some risks for Alzheimer’s, such as age and family history of the disease, are out of our control, and this is true for more mild cognitive changes as well. So what can we do to help keep our brains as healthy as possible as we get older? One thing nearly everyone agrees upon: eat a healthy diet packed with fruits and vegetables.

Bring on the “brainberries!”

The impact of berries on cognition and memory has been a topic of scientific study since the late 1990s. Initially through animal research and now through human trials, scientists have continued to find that berries, including blueberries and wild blueberries, have a measurable, positive impact on aging brains. Of course, we’re a tad partial to Wild Blueberries, which we’ve been known to nickname “brainberries.” What is it in blueberries that helps with brain health? Scientists are still studying the mechanisms of action, but it appears to be related to the large amounts of beneficial plant chemicals contained in the berries. These natural chemicals, called polyphenols (or phenolic compounds), are the key. And it just so happens that Wild Blueberries are especially high in phenolic compounds.

Blueberries and Wild Blueberries may improve memory

Robert Krikorian, PhD, who leads the University of Cincinnati’s Cognitive Aging Program, conducts studies to identify mechanisms associated with age-related cognitive decline and to improve memory function in middle-aged and older adults. Krikorian has used Wild Blueberries as well as (and in combination with) cultivated blueberries in some of his studies and has found that regular consumption can enhance cognitive function in older adults. In a recently completed trial, Krikorian’s team observed that study participants who received a powdered Wild Blueberry/blueberry supplement (versus those who received a placebo) performed better on a verbal learning task with improved memory discrimination. In addition, blueberry-treated participants reported enhanced effectiveness when performing everyday tasks. According to Krikorian, “These recent findings corroborate our prior results and provide more evidence that consumption of blueberries may improve memory function and, possibly, reduce risk for cognitive decline with aging.”

More evidence points to beneficial polyphenols in blueberries

Cognitive and motor deficits occur with aging, and these changes are of particular concern for older adults. Barbara Shukitt-Hale, PhD, a USDA staff scientist at the Laboratory of Neuroscience and Aging, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, has studied both cultivated blueberries and Wild Blueberries and their impact on memory and motor function in animals and humans. “Effective preventative measures need to be explored and developed, and blueberries in particular have been of interest because they are widely consumed and contain a variety of polyphenols known to have beneficial health effects,” she explains. A recent study conducted at her lab suggests that the regular addition of blueberries to the diet of healthy older adults can improve some aspects of executive function, and these improvements were most evident in the most challenging cognitive tests. Adding blueberries to your daily diet is a proactive step that Shukitt-Hale suggests, as it may help maintain brain health as you age. She adds, “Dietary interventions with polyphenol-rich foods such as blueberries, present a potentially fruitful strategy for combating some of the deleterious effects of age-related neurodegeneration.”

Make getting your Wild blues a year-round habit

It’s easy to get your daily dose of Wild Blueberries all year long by keeping frozen berries on hand. Check the frozen fruit section at your supermarket or warehouse club store and look for the words “Wild Blueberries” on the packaging to make sure you’re getting the tiny, polyphenol-packed “brainberries.” You’ll be pleased to notice that frozen Wild Blueberries retain their shape upon thawing and when used in baked goods, and don’t “deflate” like larger blueberries can. Need some ideas for how to use Wild Blueberries? Check out the extensive recipe files at the Wild Blueberries website.

What’s all the Buzz about Polyphenols?

We’ve all heard about the value of an antioxidant rich diet, right? Now, scientists are starting to uncover the miracle of polyphenols, a certain class of antioxidants that are getting intense scrutiny and a lot of praise. So what, exactly, are polyphenols?

Polyphenols are natural chemical compounds that protect plants from the insults of nature, among other helpful functions. These same compounds are also helpful to humans. Polyphenols are known for helping protect against the effects of aging and oxidative stress. Their powerful antioxidant activity can help neutralize free radicals, reduce inflammation, and may slow the growth of tumors.

Are you getting enough of these beneficial compounds? Well, let’s put it this way: if you are eating plenty of dark and colorful foods – such as Wild Blueberries, Blackberries, Dark Chocolate, Kale, Spinach, Red Wine, Coffee, Nuts and Green Tea – which are loaded with these compounds—you’re on the right track. If you’re not getting enough polyphenols, you might want to take a look at how to increase your intake.

So how do you get more polyphenols?

You just have to know where to look! Thanks to Cornell University scientist Rui Hai Liu, who measured the phenolic content of 53 common fruits and veggies, it’s pretty easy to see which foods will help bump up your intake.

Remarkably, among the 26 fruits and 27 vegetables most commonly consumed in the United States, Wild Blueberries ranked #1 (beating out blackberries, pomegranates and cultivated blueberries) for the highest total phenolic content per serving. If you know anything about Wild Blueberries, then you won’t be surprised they ranked first.

Unlike cultivated berries, which are planted and grown around the world, Wild Blues thrive in the most inhospitable of climates and supercharge their polyphenolic capacity while literally clinging to the rocky barrens of eastern Maine and Canada. And they have been doing just that for over 10,000 years.

As one scientist who works closely with Wild Blueberries likes to say, Wild Blueberries are “stressed for success.” In other words, the “stress” they endure in nature triggers them to devote their natural resources to accumulating protective phytochemicals for their benefit and ultimately ours too!

Finally, new research from the Institute of Food Research recently revealed more about the fascinating mechanism by which polyphenols protect us. Their study is getting noticed and reveals how compounds in certain fruits and vegetables that are high in polyphenols can help us fight against disease.

Bottom line: keep eating your fruits and vegetables daily, and refer to Dr. Liu’s chart for the most effective sources of polyphenols. And if you want to read more, check out The Cornell University research here.

Phenolic Content Chart — Journal of Food Science – Dietary Bioactive Compounds and Their Health Implications. *Spinach had the highest total phenolic content of the 27 common vegetables tested (Kale was not tested).

Health Research Reveals Wild Blueberries are Good for the Gums

Everyone knows that Wild Blueberries – with their significant antioxidant and phytonutrient capacity – are a great addition to your diet. But a new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that the polyphenols in these powerful little berries can help fight gum disease too.

A team of four scientists from the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods at the l’Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, has shown that Wild Blueberry extract can help prevent the formation of dental plaque; and their report could lead to a new natural therapy for periodontal disease.

According to a 2012 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an astounding one out of every two American adults aged 30+ has periodontal disease. Periodontitis occurs when bacteria form biofilms or plaques on teeth, and the gums become inflamed. If left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to tooth loss. But even more alarming, research has also shown that periodontal disease is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

So, bottom line, be sure to keep Wild Blueberries in your daily regimen.

Click here to read more about this new and exciting research.

Men’s Health Week: Three Top Nutrition Tricks for Guys

Hey guys, it’s all about you this month!

It’s not only Men’s Health Month, it’s Men’s Health Week (June 15-21)! What better time than now to give your nutritional health a little attention? After all, the links between diet and health apply to both women and men. Yet, according to statistics from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, men are:

22% more likely to have neglected their cholesterol tests
24% less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year
32% more likely to be hospitalized for complications from diabetes

Don’t be one of those guys! Eating a healthy diet can have a beneficial effect on many common health concerns for men, such as weight control, diabetes, and heart health. Hey, we are all busy, but think of it this way: revamping your eating habits is something that can be done at home—no co-pay or waiting room required. (Though if you did want some professional help, consulting a Registered Dietitian is a smart way to go.)

Here are our top three tips to help you “man up” in the good nutrition department…

#1: Update your plate to focus on fiber

Research shows that most of us get far less than the 20-35g of fiber recommended each day. On the other hand, most of us get plenty of protein. Sometimes men are over-concerned with protein—and often at the expense of fiber-filled foods. Neglecting fiber leads to, um, elimination issues (and in combination with a high protein diet that problem is magnified). You can easily rearrange your plate to be more in line with what health experts recommend as far as portions and types of foods. First, move the meat out of the middle of your plate (give it a quarter of the plate space). Then fill half the plate with vegetables and fruit. Eating plenty of produce can make a big dent in your daily fiber goal—which will help you feel full on fewer calories and will also increase your intake of a wider variety of nutrients and beneficial plant chemicals (called phytochemicals). Research indicates that a diet with lots of fiber can also help with insulin control—good news for those at risk of Type 2 diabetes. Depending on age and activity level, men need at least 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½-4 cups of vegetables each day. (Find out exactly how much you need with this handy Fruit and Vegetable Calculator from the Centers for Disease Control.) Fruits and veggies have lots of fiber, and berries are a good example. A cup of frozen Wild Blueberries provides 6.2 grams of fiber—about 25% of the Daily Value for fiber. (By the way, frozen fresh Wild Blueberries contain double the amount of fiber than regular blueberries per serving because their small size means more berries per cup—more berries equals more berry skins and that means more fiber).

#2: Swap out a sweet for some fruit

This is an easy fix that will boost nutrients in your diet while cutting calories and fat at the same time—and let’s face it, eating fruit isn’t exactly tough. It doesn’t take too long before you’ll have trained your taste buds to prefer naturally sweet fruit (fresh or frozen, doesn’t matter) over excessively sweetened treats made from added, refined sugar. At the deli or cafeteria, skip the brownie and grab an apple, banana or pear instead. At home, a nice bowl of Wild Blueberries (available in the frozen isle of the grocery story) will do the trick. Earn some bonus nutrition points by adding a dollop of Greek yogurt on top.

#3: Eat (don’t drink) your calories

They don’t call it a “beer belly” for nothing. But whether you’re talking juice, soda, alcohol, even energy drinks, guzzling caloric beverages can easily put your day’s calorie tally over-the-top. The truth is that calories from liquids don’t contribute to the feeling of satiety as much as calories from solid foods. In other words, we can gulp down several hundred calories in a jiffy, but our bodies aren’t great at registering that we’ve consumed them. So, eating beats drinking for helping us feel full—and making those foods fiber-rich choices (see #1) is a good place to start.

One thing every Wild Blueberry grower loves, and that’s a honeybee!

Honeybees are getting ready for the kind of sweet indulgence that’s found only once a year on the barrens of Eastern Maine, Quebec and Canada. Over the next 20-25 days, no fewer than one billion honeybees – from Maine and “from away” – will descend upon tens of thousands of acres of Wild Blueberry Barrens.

If you’re lucky enough to walk onto a barren in springtime, the experience will take your breath away. Imagine:

38 million tiny purple flowers per acre in bloom – that’s roughly 8,000 flowers per square yard;
A constant humming of bees, like millions of stringed instruments tuning up;
A beautiful gentle blur of soft little honeybees, as many as 300-per minute coming and going from each hive.

“It’s an auditory experience as well as a visual experience,” proclaims Frank Drummond, insect ecologist at the University of Maine and Maine’s leading expert on honeybees. With 25 years of academia under his belt, Dr. Drummond has a scholarly and profoundly intellectual knowledge of bees, but his passion for the little winged insect is downright contagious too!

Here, in 13 miraculous steps, is an abbreviated version of Dr. Drummond’s thesis:

To be precise, first we have to back up a few months to mid-winter, when the Wild Blueberry growers make their annual contracts with beekeepers. Most of the honeybees come from out of state – places like Southwest Florida, Georgia, Texas, and California – but some of the growers like Greg Bridges of Bridges Wild Blueberry Farm, get their honeybees from Swan’s Honey in Albion, Maine. Swan’s has been providing honeybees to Wild Blueberry growers for generations and is renown for great bees and delicious honey.
Then, cut to May, when the honeybees arrive on the barrens by the millions in tractor-trailer trucks.
These flatbed trucks are huge, and in order to get the hives (each carrying between 50,000-60,000 bees) onto the barrens, they must be carefully transferred to smaller trucks for safe delivery to the barrens.
This delicate transfer of the hives is usually done at night, when the bees are at home in their hives
The next morning at daybreak if the air temperatures are above 50ºF, the honeybees venture out on an orientation flight. “They need to memorize where their hive is located, and they take a mental picture of it so they do not get lost on the way home,” says Drummond.
The beekeeper, who travels with his bees, lets the honeybees settle for a couple of days – occasionally providing some extra syrup and pollen to support the bees after the long truck ride.
Then, the bees go at it, working from sunup to sundown. Each bee will visit tens of thousands of flowers in one day. Almost all them are females. “It’s the Queen and all of her daughters,” laughs Drummond.
As these “foragers” visit one flower after another, they drink nectar from the flowers, which they use for their own energy, and travel back to the hive to feed the larvae, which are hatched from the bee eggs laid by a single queen in each hive.
The Queen bee lays an astounding 2,000 eggs per day, notes Drummond. And each of those larvae once hatched from the eggs needs to be fed!
This is when the magic begins for the Wild Blueberry plants. As each busy little honeybee visits a flower, she drinks the nectar, gets some pollen on her face, and moves on to another flower. Then she sticks her head into a second flower and smears some pollen onto the sticky stigma of the second flower. This process ensures pollination of the plants!
Specifically, each Wild Blueberry flower holds its own set of precious eggs, about 60 per flower, says Drummond. In order to ensure pollination of the plant, the flower requires 10-12 of its eggs to turn into seeds, and the honeybee is the carrier of the pollen, which allows this to happen.
Germination occurs within a few short hours – the pollen goes into the plant’s ovary and fertilizes it, and the rest is history.
Dr. Drummond confesses that the process is stunningly symbiotic. The honeybee is out for herself and feeding her young. The Wild Blueberry offers its flowers and needs the bee for pollination. “It’s a perfect union,” he says. From the pollinated flower, a fruit is formed and the more blueberry eggs fertilized, the larger the fruit.

A 10,000-year-old ecosystem

We could not continue this ode to the honeybees without a few words from Dr. Drummond about the Wild Blueberry Barrens themselves. When asked what he loves most about Wild Blueberries his reply is inspiring.

“Well, I guess for me, the most amazing thing is that this Wild Blueberry ecosystem is really a direct result of the glaciers receding 10,000 years ago. When the glaciers formed, they scraped almost all of the good topsoil away and deposited it into the ocean,” he explains. What was left when the glaciers receded was this granite gravel that forms a perfectly inhospitable environment for growing anything except Wild Blueberries.

When Dr. Drummond beholds this glacial relic, he admits that the experience is somewhat mindboggling. “What’s left is this really yummy genetically diverse crop that we do not have to plant that has been here for thousands of years,” he exclaims. “You can take a handful from over here and a handful from there, each handful is different. Some are sweet, some are tart, some are almost black, some are light blue.” The genetic diversity of the barrens is astounding.

A word about colony collapse

It would be irresponsible to publish an article about honeybees without making mention of the Colony Collapse Disorder. As an insect ecologist, Dr. Drummond has much to share on the topic. Bee colony losses are very high this year (about 40% of all colonies perished), according to Drummond.

In Maine and Eastern Canada, a lot of growers have been working hard to minimize exposure of pesticides to honeybees, says Dr. Drummond. The Wild Blueberry Commission has provided funding to monitor honeybee health during pollination and there is an active program by growers to make sure that risks are reduced

Drummond explains that the cause of Colony Collapses appears to be what scientists refer to as a “multi-stressor effect.” In other words there has been a perfect storm of negative impacts on honeybees, including diseases, two particularly nasty parasites, a few pathogens and viruses, plus overexposure to the pesticides used in much of the nation’s large scale farms. “All of these factors seem to have contributed to the rapid declines we are seeing,” says Dr. Drummond. On top of that, honeybee populations have a small genetic basis to them, which means they cannot quickly adapt to an assault on their systems.

After spending time with Dr. Drummond, it’s clear we have much to lose if bees continue to decline in such staggering numbers, and we owe it to our ourselves to learn about and advocate for this magnificent winged insect.

Wild Blueberry Honey Recipe

In the spirit of support for this magnificent little winged insect, here is one tasty recipe to enjoy year round!

Honey, Orange & Wild Blueberry Thirst Quencher

Makes eight 8 once servings.

Berries High in Anthocyanins May Help Reduce the Effects of a High Fat Diet

By Kit Broihier, MS, RD, LD

Nutrition Advisor for the Wild Blueberry Association of North America

Who hasn’t overindulged in high-fat, high-calorie fare at some time or another and then wished it could all be “taken back” somehow? Sorry, we don’t have a magic wand, super pill, or even a special food that will instantly “undo” dietary damage (though wouldn’t that be great?). Instead, scientists working in the areas of diabetes and metabolic syndrome are looking into the effects that certain foods have on various symptoms of obesity, including inflammation, resulting from increased fat mass. Wild Blueberries, and bilberries (a European “relative” of the Wild Blueberry) are among those foods that show promise in helping to diminish the effects of a fatty diet on risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome.

In animals, as well as humans, overeating can lead to extra pounds, which may contribute to obesity-induced inflammation (sometimes collectively referred to as chronic, low-grade inflammation), hypertension, and insulin resistance—all of which are characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. A recently published, three-month study conducted in Finland with mice revealed that a high-fat diet that included bilberries helped ameliorate and prevent some of the metabolic problems the mice developed as they gained weight from the fatty diet. Specifically, the mice that ate a diet containing bilberries experienced decreased blood pressure, while those that received just the high-fat diet and no bilberries showed no such decrease. In addition, several other pro-inflammatory markers associated with low-grade inflammation were also positively impacted by the bilberry-containing diet.

So what does this have to do with Wild Blueberries? “The Maine Wild Blueberry and the European bilberry have many of the same characteristics, such as smaller size, more intense flavor, and both are higher in antioxidants than the cultivated blueberry,” says David Yarborough, PhD, Wild Blueberry Specialist and Professor of Horticulture at the University of Maine. And, although there have been a number of studies utilizing Wild Blueberry and bilberry extracts, there are fewer that use the whole fruit, like this one did. Using a whole food more accurately mimics how both animals and humans actually eat. One recent study that used whole Wild Blueberries, conducted by Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, PhD, at the University of Maine, used obese rats that exhibited all the typical characteristics of metabolic syndrome. She found that incorporating 1½ cups of Wild Blueberries into the diets of the rats daily for 8 weeks resulted in decreased obesity-induced inflammation and normalization of physiological characteristics of metabolic syndrome.

What’s behind these effects?

More studies need to be done to know for sure, but science points to the berries’ high level of anthocyanins (a powerful antioxidant plant chemical that’s responsible for the blue and red pigments in some fruits and vegetables) as a probable reason for these beneficial effects. According to Dr. Klimis-Zacas, “Anthocyanins may not only act as antioxidants but also as molecules that send signals that alter cell metabolic pathways.” However, both Wild Blueberries and bilberries contain many other phytochemicals that could also play roles in helping fight the damaging health effects of a high-fat fare.

Kit Broihier is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian and co-author of several cookbooks. She contributes regularly to a variety of national and regional publications and blogs. Previously on the editorial staff at Good Housekeeping magazine, she now own a food and nutrition consulting company and currently serves as a nutrition advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America.

How to Get the Most out of Frozen Berries…. Especially the Wild Ones!

To all our Wild Blueberry lovers, we recently read a great article in Zester Daily called “6 Healthy Ways to Get the Most Out of Frozen and Dried Berries.” Zester is an award-winning online destination whose mission is to promote spirited, intelligent dialogue about what we eat and drink. We wanted to share the story since it’s packed full of informative data about selecting and using frozen berries for optimum health. Independent health journalist Harriet Sugar Miller, penned the article. Miller has been a cancer survivor for two decades and she blogs about the nutrition-cancer connection at www.eatandbeatcancer.com. She’s also writing a book, “Eat and Beat Cancer: How to Create Your Own Anti-Cancer Kitchen” scheduled to launch this fall.

Miller interviews renown blueberry researcher Dr. Mary Ann Lila, director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University, and heralded by Dr. Oz as a “cancer detective.” Dr. Lila offers up six invaluable tips for getting the most out of your frozen berries.

For example, Dr. Lila recommends berries that are individually quick-frozen (IQF). One of the leading reasons she gives is because they retain their nutrients.

What does IQF mean? It’s a special method of freezing whereby the integrity of the fruit is preserved and their nutritional value is enhanced because they go through the process at peak harvest time. For example, in the case of Wild Blueberries, which pack a big punch in terms of taste and antioxidants, but are small and delicate, the IQF process allows the delicate berries to maintain their shape and texture through the freezing process and not “glob” into balls of ice. You could say the pinnacle of taste, beauty and nutrition have been captured and locked in by using IQF. And, fruits and vegetables that are individually quick-frozen don’t deteriorate during storage periods, something that is inevitable with fresh-sold fruit.

Below is an excerpt from the Zester article. To read it all and see more of Dr. Lila’s tips, visithere.

Fresh local berries in season are a fleeting pleasure in most regions, and until we can virtually reach through the computer screen and grab them off the bush, the choice will come down to frozen berries or imports from faraway. If they’re not kept cool enough, fresh berries shipped long distances can lose important phytonutrients. Unless you’re up for interrogating suppliers, frozen berries are likely your best option, depending on how they’re frozen and thawed.

Mary Ann Lila, director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University and a berry lover, shares her thoughts on selecting berries when they’re out of season.

Dr. Oz has called Dr. Lila a “cancer detective” because she is responsible for major research breakthroughs in nutritional health especially in the field of cancer prevention. Dr. Mary Ann Lila is also a big supporter of Wild Blueberries and uses them in some of her research. For several years, Dr. Lila has been a lead presenter and participant at the Wild Blueberry Association of North America annual Health Research Summit held in Bar Harbor, Maine. This incredible event brings together scientists and researchers from around the world whose work is helping lead the way to learning more about the health benefits of Wild Blueberries. Learn more about the vast amount of research on the health benefits of Wild Blueberries here.