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Blueberries
Blueberries are considered a superfood as they contain very high levels of antioxidants - the highest of many plant foods. These antioxidants are the compounds which produce many health benefits.
One of the antioxidants in blueberries (the flavonoid anthocyanin) prevents cancer-causing enzymes from spreading in the body and inhibiting the cancer's migration to different parts of the body. Anthocyanin is also responsible for giving blueberries their purple-blue colour. Blueberries also contain polyphenols (one of which is anthocyanin).
Studies have shown that the antioxidants in blueberries can help to reduce declining brain function as people age. Other research has shown that blueberries reduce inflammation of the brain and so could be useful in treating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and further studies have also shown that any genetic predisposition to certain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease could be mitigated through intake of blueberries.
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Studies have also shown that blueberries can ensure that the brain is protected from damage if ischemic stroke occurs, which may improve ischemic stroke outcome in patients.
Antioxidants are known as free-radical scavengers, which means they find and destroy free radicals, which are known to cause cancer, heart disease and a whole host of other diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
Blueberries also prevent infection of the urinary tract and ensure it is healthy and free from infection-causing bacteria. Blueberries achieve this because they contain compounds that prevent the bacteria responsible from causing urinary tract infections from sticking to the bladder wall. Many studies have proven this very special effect that blueberries have on the urinary tract.
Another benefit of blueberries is that they help with eyestrain and give improvement of night vision. This benefit again comes from the flavonoid anthocyanin.
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Various nutrients in 1 cup of blueberries:
| NUTRIENT | Unit | FRESH (148g) | FROZEN (155g) |
|---|---|---|---|
Energy |
Kcal | 84.00 |
79.00 |
Protein |
grams | 1.10 |
0.65 |
Fat |
grams | 0.49 |
0.99 |
Carbohydrate |
grams | 21.45 |
18.86 |
Fibre |
grams | 3.60 |
4.20 |
Calcium |
mg | 9.00 |
12.00 |
Iron |
mg | 0.41 |
0.28 |
Magnesium |
mg | 9.00 |
8.00 |
Phosphorus |
mg | 18.00 |
17.00 |
Potassium |
mg | 114.00 |
84.00 |
Sodium |
mg | 1.00 |
2.00 |
Zinc |
mg | 0.24 |
0.11 |
Copper |
mg | 0.08 |
0.05 |
Manganese |
mg | 0.49 |
0.23 |
Selenium |
mcg | 0.10 |
0.20 |
Vitamin C |
mg | 14.40 |
3.90 |
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) |
mg | 0.06 |
0.05 |
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) |
mg | 0.06 |
0.06 |
Niacin (Vitamin B3) |
mg | 0.62 |
0.81 |
Panthothenic acid (Vitamin B5) |
mg | 0.18 |
0.19 |
Vitamin B6 |
mg | 0.08 |
0.90 |
Folate |
mcg | 9.00 |
11.00 |
Vitamin B12 |
mcg | 0 |
0 |
Vitamin A |
IU | 80.00 |
71.00 |
Vitamin E |
mg | 0.84 |
0.74 |
Vitamin K |
mcg | 28.60 |
25.40 |
- What are superfoods?
- Benefits of superfoods
- 10 Superfoods
references
- Francis CL Bielinski DF Joseph JA. Inhibitory effects of blueberry extract on the production of inflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide-activated BV2 microglia. Journal of Neuroscience Research, Volume 85, Issue 5 , Pages 1010 - 1017
- Graci S, Diamond H, Martin JM, The Power of Superfoods, Prentice Hall Canada, 1999
- Joseph JA, Denisova NA, Arendash G, Gordon M, Diamond D, Shukitt-Hale B, Morgan D. Blueberry Supplementation Enhances Signaling and Prevents Behavioral Deficits in an Alzheimer Disease Model. Nutritional Neuroscience, Volume 6, Issue 3 June 2003 , pages 153 - 162
- Joseph JA, et al. Reversals of Age-Related Declines in Neuronal Signal Transduction, Cognitive, and Motor Behavioral Deficits with Blueberry, Spinach, or Strawberry Dietary Supplementation. The Journal of Neuroscience, September 15, 1999, 19(18):8114-8121. Accessed 2 February 2007
- Pratt SG, Matthews, K. SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, Harper-Collins Publishers USA, 2004
- Schmidt BM, et al. Effective Separation of Potent Antiproliferation and Antiadhesion Components from Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) Fruits. . Agric. Food Chem., 52 (21), 6433 -6442, 2004
- Sweeney MI, Kalt W, MacKinnon SL, Ashby J, Gottschall-Pass KT. Feeding rats diets enriched in lowbush blueberries for six weeks decreases ischemia-induced brain damage. Nutr Neurosci. 2002 Dec;5(6):427-31
- US Highbush Blueberry Council. Accessed 26 August 2007
More information
To learn more, go to the following web sites: