anthocyanins Archives - Wild Blueberries

New Research Study Indicates Wild Blueberries Improve Fat Oxidation Rates

In a recently published pilot study where male participants consumed the powder equivalent of about one cup of wild blueberries daily for two weeks, it was found that their fat oxidation rates improved during a period of moderate-intensity cycling (1). Fat oxidation (FAT-ox) is the rate at which fatty acids are broken down and converted into energy for the body, which is an important part of the body’s metabolic energy systems. This study is one of the first to explore exactly how wild blueberries elicit greater fat oxidation rates and can support a healthy and active lifestyle.

“This pilot study indicates that consuming wild blueberries daily can help increase the rate at which we can burn fat during moderate-intensity exercise,” explained Taylor Bloedon, PhD, RD, CSSD and Associate Professor at CalPoly Humboldt University.

“The men in our study consumed a freeze-dried powder equivalent to about 1 cup wild blueberries—a very achievable amount for consumers. And the fact that the men in our study were not elite athletes or even trained cyclists, means the results are highly likely transferable to the average exercise enthusiast or recreational athlete.”

Why Wild Blueberries?

“Having studied in Maine, I’m very familiar with wild blueberries and their nutritional components. We specifically chose wild blueberries for this study because they have a higher anthocyanin content than ordinary blueberries,” explained Bloedon.

While wild blueberries tend to stand out from other blueberries due to their flavor intensity, small size, and deep blue color, they’re also packed with superior nutritional benefits. Specifically, wild blueberries contain 33% more heart-healthy anthocyanins when compared to their cultivated high-bush cousins. Wild blueberries grow in harsh environmental conditions, which contributes to their dense and diverse phytochemical profile. Wild blueberry phytochemicals have been found to have a wide variety of health benefits, including improving cardiovascular health, supporting cognitive function, and more.

“There have been a number of research studies that indicate beneficial impacts of wild blueberry consumption for elite athletes, but this study shows there are potential benefits for everyday exercisers as well,” says Kitty Broihier, MS, RD, LD, the nutrition advisor for the Wild Blueberry Association of North America. “Wild blueberries are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and health-supporting bioactive components. Knowing that these little berries can also impact how efficiently our bodies burn fat gives consumers yet another reason to get their daily scoop of wild blueberries.”

Doors Open to Further Explore Effects of WBs on FAT-ox & Exercise

Based on the positive results of the pilot study, Dr. Bloedon began an expanded project in collaboration with other CalPoly researchers. She and her team will be further examining the effects of wild blueberries on fat oxidation and exercise. The project aims to measure substrate oxidation in men and women following four weeks of wild blueberry consumption.

Bloedon added, “I’m looking forward to the results of our current, larger trial where we are investigating the effects of wild blueberry supplementation on fat oxidation during exercise in both men and women at higher exercise intensities.”

Source

“Effects of Wild Blueberries on Fat Oxidation Rates in Aerobically Trained Males”

By Kari D. Pilolla, Jessie Armendariz, Boe M. Burrus, David S. Baston, Karli A. McCarthy and Taylor K. Bloedon. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/6/1339

Make Way for Anthocyanins—the Power Behind the Purple

Chances are, you’ve read or heard about antioxidants before, but did you know the “new kid” on the berry health-promotion scene is a group of beneficial plant compounds called anthocyanins (pronounced an-tho-sigh-a-nins)? Although their presence in plants is not a new discovery, scientists have more recently begun to find that anthocyanins may hold the key to many of the health effects found in foods like Wild Blueberries. It’s time to give anthocyanins their time in the spotlight.

What are anthocyanins, anyhow?

Anthocyanins, named for the Greek words for “flower” and “blue,” are part of the flavonoid group of plant compounds. Anthocyanins are beneficial to the plants: they appear to protect the plants from the damage of ultraviolet light and other environmental stressors. A growing body of research is revealing that anthocyanins are beneficial to humans, too.

Boosting the blue (and purple) in our diets

We get anthocyanins from a variety of foods, and the easiest way to locate them is by color. As pigments, they’re easy to spot—unlike most other plant compounds. When you see red, purple or blue-hued fruits and vegetables, you know they contain anthocyanins. Berries and their juices contain the most anthocyanins, and Wild Blueberries, in particular, contain a wide range of anthocyanins. In fact, a study that examined the anthocyanin content of 24 foods found that Wild Blueberries provided 487mg of total anthocyanin per 100g of fruit—significantly more total anthocyanins than other commonly consumed berries in the US including cultivated blueberries. (See chart.)

Some other foods that contain anthocyanins include:

red cabbage
purple potatoes
purple cauliflower
elderberries
black currants
purple carrots
eggplant
red onions
plums
figs

What exactly do anthocyanins do in the body?

The role of anthocyanins in the human body is still an area of intense investigation, and we clearly don’t know everything there is to know about this large class of compounds. However, we do know that when we eat foods containing anthocyanins, they change form during the process of digestion and are extensively modified by the body and also by microflora (bacteria) in the intestines. These modified compounds generally referred to as metabolites, are plentiful and widely varied.

Research indicates that anthocyanins exert their effects indirectly, via their metabolites. These effects include reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Some of the specific actions of anthocyanins and their metabolites include:

may help lower LDL cholesterol (also known as “bad cholesterol”)
fight against the progression of atherosclerosis in humans
may improve insulin resistance and moderate blood sugar levels in animals
may boost cognitive function
inhibit growth of certain cancer cells

There is still much to be learned about the mechanisms by which anthocyanins and their metabolites influence human health. It’s an exciting realm of research and one that the Wild Blueberry Association of North America is pleased to help support. In the meantime, take every opportunity to bump up the blue and purple in your diet by incorporating Wild Blueberries into your eating plan frequently (check out our extensive recipe collection here), along with a variety of other anthocyanin-rich foods.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5613902/

J. Agric. Food Chem., 2006, 54 (11), 4069-4075 • DOI: 10.1021/jf060300l

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.

Why Do Wild Blueberry Barrens Turn Red in Fall?

The answer is surprisingly good for you!

The fall season in Down East Maine is more than a little dramatic. The seas turn dark and stormy, the skies turn crisp and blue, and thousands of acres of Wild Blueberry barrens turn fiery red! Why all that red? We turned to resident Wild Blueberry expert Dr. David Yarborough for answers. David is the Wild Blueberry Specialist with the Cooperative Extension and professor of horticulture at the University of Maine, where he has worked for 34 years. We just call him “Mr. Wild Blueberry.”

Why are the barrens so red at this time of year?

It’s all of the anthocyanins in the leaves that turns them that beautiful shade of red. With the Wild Blueberry harvest now complete, this is the time when the plants prepare to go dormant for the winter. And like our New England hardwood forests, the Wild Blueberries give us this annual burst of color that is a result of pigments being synthesized by the plants just before the leaves fall.

Why red and not yellow or orange?

Wild Blueberries turn bright red as opposed to the oranges, purples and yellows we also see in the surrounding plant life at this time of year. The deep shades of red are the result of significant amounts of anthocyanin and the retention of carotenoids — or pigments. The brownish colors we see at this time of year are the result of anthocyanin and chlorophyll. In some plants, like Wild Blueberries, the colors are quite uniformly red. In other plants, such as sugar maples and red maples, the colors can vary considerably from red to yellow to orange.

What are anthocyanins?

Anthocyanins belong to a class of molecules called flavonoids. Not only do they get the credit for our beautiful fall colors, but when we eat the fruit of plants high in anthocyanins we get the powerful health benefits associated with this class of foods. {Tweet this} Anthocyanins act as powerful antioxidants and there is significant research being conducted about the health benefits of an anthocyanin-rich diet.

Where can you get these anthocyanins?

Plants rich in anthocyanins are part of the Vaccinium species, which includes, cranberry, bilberry and of course Wild Blueberries. {Tweet this} But other great sources of anthocyanin include black raspberry, red raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry, Concord grape and red cabbage.

We know you can eat Wild Blueberries, but what about the leaves?

Yes, the whole blueberry plant is good for you! The berries are available year-round in the freezer section, where their freshness is frozen at the peak of flavor and antioxidant power. The leaves are also available year-round and can be used for high-antioxidant tea! A delicious tea is available from Highland Organics.

David E. Yarborough is the wild blueberry specialist with Cooperative Extension and professor of horticulture in the School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine, where he has worked for the past 35 years. He attended the University of Maine where he received a B.S. degree in wildlife management in 1975 and an M.S. degree in resource utilization 1978. He received his Ph.D. degree in Plant and Soil Science in 1991 from the University of Massachusetts. His research subject dealt with weed-crop competition and shifts in species distributions in Maine’s wild blueberry fields with the use of herbicides. He now does research on developing chemical and cultural strategies for controlling weeds, and works with wild blueberry growers in Maine and Canada to educate them on best management practices that will enable them to increase their efficiency of production and their profitability, so that this industry may continue to remain competitive in the world marketplace. He has published well over 200 research and Extension publications dealing with wild blueberries and with weeds. He was recognized by the IR-4 program when he received the Meritorious Service Award in 2006 and 35 year service award from the University of Maine in 2014.