Scientists are identifying a growing range of benefits from eating berries, says WHETHER they are in or out of season, berries are in demand for more than simply tasting good and adding colour to mealtimes. More and more nutrition specialists say berries are a powerful boost for our bodies.
An increasing range of nutritional benefits is also being identified, says UK dietician Dr Catherine Collins.
Their main benefit seems to be in their antioxidant potential, mopping up the reactive oxygen species that are produced naturally in the body as a byproduct of our metabolism of oxygen, says Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital National Health Service Trust in London. These molecules are also known as free radicals that are associated with developing a range of health problems including cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.
Antioxidants are one of nature's most powerful weapons to prevent free radicals from damaging healthy cells around them. Among the most important antioxidants to be found in berries are substances known as anthocyanins. These help to fight carcinogens and cause cells to die when they should, instead of reproducing uncontrollably as happens with cancer. We are at the same stage in our understanding of the benefit of these plant- or phytochemicals as we were 100 years ago with vitamins, says Collins.
As to which berries we should be eating for our health, Collins says: It very much depends on the colour, as this reflects important compounds for good health. Those available in SA include blueberries, which range in colour from blue to maroon and a deep black purple. Their skin covers a semitransparent flesh with tiny seeds. Known as a superfood, blueberries have been called nutritional stars. Researchers at Tufts University in the US recently analysed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capability. Blueberries came out top for the properties that can neutralise free-radical activity in the body. They are high in anthocyanidins, but they also have another important substance, pterostilbene. If you can't get your tongue around that one, it is pronounced tare-oh-still-bean. It is another powerful antioxidant compound that is known to fight cancer and may also help to lower cholesterol. The blueberry also has cousins that are equally helpful. An extract of bilberry, a variety of blueberry, has been shown in studies to improve night-time visual acuity, and speed up adjustment to darkness.
And while your mother always told you to eat carrots for your eyesight, research in the June 2004 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology showed that eating three or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration, the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared with people who consumed less than 1,5 servings of fruit daily. Dieticians are increasingly saying berries should be chief among those fruits.
According to new research from the Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand, blackcurrants could help prevent Alzheimer's disease as well as fight cancer and heart disease. Not only this, but it is clear from the increasing numbers of scientific studies that the natural compounds found routinely in blackcurrants show a diverse range of antimicrobial activities which may help reduce the incidence of, or help alleviate the symptoms of infection by, the MRSA bacteria (a resistant strain that affects mostly people who are already ill in hospital), says Derek Stewart of the Scottish Crop Research Institute.
As the popularity of berries grows, so does the supply of imported berries promising a variety of health benefits. Few of them are available in SA. Goji or wolfberries, which are grown in China and Mongolia, have a rich, spicy taste and are estimated to contain 500 times more vitamin C than their equivalent weight in oranges. Acai berries from Brazil contain twice as many antioxidants as blueberries, while Acerola cherries, originating in the Caribbean, contain more than 150 nutrients and powerful antioxidants called bioflavanoids.
There are so many new types of berry on the market at the moment and they come in all kinds of different products, says Caroline Walker, MD of UK health food chain As Nature Intended. More and more people are realising their health benefits and, as well as fresh, you now find them juiced, dried, freeze-dried and mixed in with yoghurt and muesli, she says.
The next big thing will be Saskatoon berries from Canada, which are a deep violet so they're very high in antioxidants, says Khaled Yafi, who launched The Berry Company this year with a range of berry juices.
Collins, however, is sceptical of claims that far-flung megaberries are any better for us than homegrown varieties. Their exoticism gives them a status beyond their true value. Like all berries they have nutritional benefits as part of a balanced diet
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