In common talk and cuisine, the term "berry" refers generically to any
small, sweet fruit; in this sense, the strawberry is a berry and the tomato is
not. Other berries in this, but not the botanical, sense include aggregate
fruits such as the blackberry, the raspberry, and the boysenberry. These fruits
tend to be small, sweet, juicy, and of a bright color contrasting with their
background to make them more attractive to animals that disperse them and thus
scatter widely the seeds of the plant. For information on
fruits and their health
benefits.
Berries have many health benefits: They may lower the risk of erectile dysfunction. Other recent
studies show they may play a potential role in the fight against Alzheimer's
disease and perhaps Parkinson's disease.
Types
Berries are widely available fresh, frozen, or dried. They can add flavor and nutrition to numerous dishes, from salads and cereals to baked goods and yogurt. Here is a list of berries: Acai berry, aronia berry, bearberry, bilberry.
Blackberry - blackberries contain anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, gallic acid, cyanidins, pelargonidins, catechins, kaempferon, and salicylic acid. These potent antioxidant compounds support normal function of the body's immune system. Anthocyanins, which give blackberries their dark color, help maintain healthy cholesterol levels that could result in better blood circulation and a healthier heart.
Black currant (also available as a supplement).
Blueberry -- Epidemiological studies find that intake of blueberries reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, death, and type 2 diabetes, and with improved weight maintenance and protection of nerve and brain health.
Boysenberry, chokeberry, cranberry, goji, gooseberry, lingonberry, maqui berry from South America, mulberry, pyracantha berry, raspberry, strawberry and yumberry from China.
Strawberries are a good source of ellagic acid and many flavonoids in the form of anthocyanins, potent antioxidants which provide it with its characteristic red color. These antioxidants may help promote cardiovascular health as well as help maintain normal cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Buying extracts
Several berries are available in supplement form, often as an extract. If you
would like to buy these supplements, see
acai berries,
bilberry for extract from bilberries, and
cranberry for extract
from cranberries.
Nutritional benefit
They contain a great deal of beneficial compounds and are full of
antioxidants and flavonoids. They are low in calories, and high in water and
fiber and their taste satisfies sweets cravings for a fraction of the calories
in baked goods. Berries are a particularly rich source of polyphenols. They also
contain other bioactive substances, such as vitamin C. The consumption of
polyphenol-rich foods (eg, cocoa, tea, and red wine) has beneficial effects on
cardiovascular health and can lower the risk for heart attack.
Health benefit of berries
A diet rich in berries improves
levels of HDL cholesterol and improves
blood pressure.
Anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant that gives blueberries and strawberries
their vibrant color.
Anthocyanins may also help open blood vessels, which allows for
smoother blood flow and a lower risk for high blood pressure. They have benefits for
heart health and also for brain health and could reduce the risk for cancer
and potentially help us live longer.
Berries are often described as
“super foods,” but then, so are many other foods such as soy, garlic, and
various vegetables. Are berries really such a
nutritional powerhouse, or are they just one more fruit option? And is one kind
of berry really better than the rest? Research does show that they
are among the fruits highest in antioxidant content and that they are excellent
sources of several phytochemicals that seem to help block cancer development.
However, other fruits and vegetables provide different nutrients and
phytochemicals with unique health benefits. The best advice, then, is to eat
berries often for their great taste and health boost, but stay focused on the
main goal of eating a wide variety of produce every day.
Edible berries have health benefits in terms of cardiovascular
disorders, advancing age-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and
diverse degenerative diseases. Berry anthocyanins also improve neuronal and
cognitive brain functions and visual health.
I was just curious to see if you knew about the health
benefits of wild berries like wild huckleberries, wild lingonberries, and wild
cranberries. I have heard that wild huckleberries and lingonberries have ORAC
values off the charts compared to that of domestic farmed berries.
I am not sure at this time.
Berries for the brain
Extracts from blueberries and strawberries could protect against the oxidative stress behind aging, and could even protect astronauts from dangerous galactic radiation, suggests a new study partly supported by NASA. Scientists from Tufts University and the University of Maryland, exposed rats to radiation in order to induce behavioural and neuronal effects that mirror those observed during the natural process of ageing. Previous research has shown that exposure to a radioactive iron source results in a decline of a range of cognitive functions, including motor performance, spatial learning and memory. The new study reports that rats fed a diet supplemented with either strawberry or blueberry extracts for eight weeks before exposure to the radiation were protected from some of the reductions in brain function. And interestingly, the high-energy and charge particles found in the radiation are also found outside the Earth's magnetic field, suggesting, say the researchers, that astronauts on a manned-mission to Mars may also benefit from daily berry supplements. Both berries appear to be helpful. The antioxidant diets and the different polyphenols in these berries act in different brain regions to produce their beneficial effects. This suggests that one should consume a variety of berries as opposed to just one or two.
The benefits of antioxidant fruits and berries such as blueberries has
been known for some time. Just recently we heard that blueberries have been
found to be beneficial in regenerating brain cells, and may help fight
Alzheimer's disease.
Would you suggest taking blueberry extract for someone who has been diagnosed
with early Alzheimer's?
All berries have great antioxidant benefits. Perhaps blueberry
supplements may be helpful in lowering the risk for Alzheimer's disease and
perhaps slowing the cognitive decline. There are many plant extracts and
supplements that could be beneficial for Alzheimer's disease and it is difficult
to know how many to take and what dosage is appropriate.
Anthocyanins may be of benefit in Parkinson's disease.
Bone loss, osteoporosis benefit
Antioxidants (Basel). 2014. Dietary Polyphenols, Berries, and Age-Related
Bone Loss: A Review Based on Human, Animal, and Cell Studies. Natural
antioxidant supplementation has been researched to aid in reducing bone loss
caused by oxidative stress. Naturally occurring polyphenols, such as
anthocyanins rich in berries, are known to have anti-oxidative properties.
Several studies have been reviewed to determine the impact polyphenol
intake-particularly that of berries-has on bone health. Studies reveal a
positive association of high berry intake and higher bone mass, implicating
berries as possible inexpensive alternatives in reducing the risk of age related
bone loss.
Cancer prevention
Multiple Berry Types Prevent N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-Induced Esophageal
Cancer in Rats.
Pharm Res. 2010. Department of Internal Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer
Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio,
USA.
Rats were treated with the carcinogen N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine for 5 weeks, then placed on diets containing 5% of either black or red
raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, noni, açaí or wolfberry until the end of
the study. The effects of the berries on tumor incidence, multiplicity and size
were determined, as well as their effects on the levels of selected inflammatory
cytokines in serum. All berry types were about equally effective in inhibiting
NMBA-induced tumorigenesis in the rat esophagus. They also reduced the levels of
the serum cytokines, interleukin 5 (IL-5) and GRO/KC, the rat homologue for
human interleukin-8 (IL-8), and this was associated with increased serum
antioxidant capacity. Seven berry types were about equally capable of inhibiting
tumor progression in the rat esophagus in spite of known differences in levels
of anthocyanins and ellagitannins.
Black raspberries added to the diet of animals inhibits the development of chemically induced cancer of the mouth, esophagus and colon and perhaps barretts esophagus.
Protection against esophageal cancer in rodents with lyophilized berries:
potential mechanisms.
Nutr Cancer. 2006. Division of Hematology and Oncology,
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer
Center, Columbus
Our laboratory has been evaluating the ability of lyophilized
(freeze-dried) berries such as black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis, BRBs),
blackberries (R. fructicosus, BBs), and strawberries (Fragaria ananasia, STRWs)
to inhibit carcinogen-induced cancer in the rodent esophagus. To assure
"standardized" preparations of berries for study, each berry type is of the same
cultivar, picked at about the same degree of ripeness, washed and frozen within
2-4 h of the time of picking, and freeze-dried under conditions that preserve
the components in the berries. In initial bioassays, freeze-dried STRW,
BRB, and BB powders were mixed into AIN-76A synthetic diet at concentrations of
5% and 10% and fed to Fischer 344 rats before, during, and after treatment with
the esophageal carcinogen N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine. At 25 wk of the
bioassay, all three berries were found to inhibit the number of esophageal
tumors (papillomas) in NMBA-treated animals by 24-56% relative to NMBA controls.
This inhibition correlated with reductions in the formation of the NMBA-induced
O6-methylguanine adduct in esophageal DNA, suggesting that the berries
influenced the metabolism of NMBA leading to reduced DNA damage. Studies are
ongoing to determine the mechanisms by which berries influence NMBA metabolism
and DNA adduct formation. Berries, therefore, inhibit tumor promotion and
progression events as well as tumor initiation.
Researchers gave 36 people with early signs of throat cancer a set amount of freeze-dried strawberries. Biopsies done before and after show 29 of the 36 had a decrease in precancerous lesions. Freeze drying the berries concentrates the cancer fighting chemicals.
Int J Mol Sci. 2015. Antiproliferative and antioxidant properties of anthocyanin rich extracts from blueberry and blackcurrant juice. The present study was aimed at evaluating the antiproliferative potential of anthocyanin-rich fractions (ARFs) obtained from two commercially available juices (blueberry and blackcurrant juices) on three tumor cell lines; B16F10 (murine melanoma), A2780 (ovarian cancer) and HeLa (cervical cancer). The results obtained indicated that both blueberry and blackcurrants are rich sources of antioxidants including anthocyanins and therefore these fruits are highly recommended for daily consumption to prevent numerous degenerative diseases.
Dementia,
cognitive decline
Recent advances in berry
supplementation and age-related cognitive decline.
Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009; Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University,
Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Berry fruit supplementation has continued to demonstrate efficacy in reversing
age-related cognitive decline in animal studies. In terms of the mechanisms
behind the effects of berries on the central nervous system, recent studies have
demonstrated the bioavailability of berry polyphenols in several animal models.
These studies have revealed that flavonoids and polyphenols from berries do
accumulate in the brain following long-term consumption. Antioxidant-rich
berries consumed in the diet can positively impact learning and memory in the
aged animal. This effect on cognition is thought to be due to the direct
interaction of berry polyphenols with aging neurons and increasing the capacity
of neurons to maintain proper functioning during aging.
Berries for Helicobacter Pylori
Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori in vitro by various
berry extracts, with enhanced susceptibility to clarithromycin.
Mol Cell Biochem. 2004.
All extracts from berries significantly
inhibited H. pylori compared with controls.
Inflammation
A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition investigated the effect of
strawberries on postprandial inflammatory and insulin responses in adults. The
study included 24 overweight adults who consumed a high carbohydrate, moderate
fat meal followed by either a strawberry or placebo beverage. The results
revealed that those who consumed the strawberry beverage showed 25 percent lower
levels of biomarkers for inflammation compared with people receiving the placebo
drink. It was also found that C-reactive peptide levels were 13 percent lower
following consumption of the strawberry beverage than following consumption of
the placebo beverage. Since chronic inflammation has also been linked to a range
of conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, type-2 diabetes,
and arthritis, it appears that strawberries may decrease levels of inflammatory
markers and thereby reduce the risk of these conditions.. Strawberry anthocyanin
and its association with postprandial inflammation and insulin. Br J
Nutr. 2011.
Weight loss
I have seen your berry diet all over the internet, and I am leery to try it
because of just that – it is on the internet. I do not know anyone personal in
my life that has taken it. I desperately need to lose weight, and have struggled
with keeping up with routines and eating healthy. I really want to try the berry
diet, but I am so afraid of it making me sick. I have not been able to find any
information about side effects anywhere. If it is out there, I am just not
looking in the right places. Caffeine makes me very sick, so all of the products
out there that boost your metabolism have caffeine in them, so I cannot take
them. Can you please help to answer my concerns? What can I expect for side
effects from taking this remedy? I hope that this email reaches someone that can
get a response to me. I have sent emails out and have never gotten replies… Not
from your email address, but from other products, so I guess they were just a gimic.
We do not have a berry diet program. Please see
weight loss for more
info.
Interactions with medications
Food Chem Toxicol. 2014. Evaluation of the in vitro/in vivo potential of
five berries (bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, elderberry, and raspberry ketones)
commonly used as herbal supplements to inhibit uridine
diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase. In this study, we evaluated inhibitory
potentials of popularly-consumed berries (bilberry, blueberry, cranberry,
elderberry, and raspberry ketones) as herbal supplements on UGT1A1, UGT1A4,
UGT1A6, UGT1A9, and UGT2B7 in vitro. We also investigated the potential
herb-drug interaction via UGT1A1 inhibition by blueberry in vivo. We
demonstrated that these berries had only weak inhibitory effects on the five
UGTs. Bilberry and elderberry had no apparent inhibitions. Blueberry weakly
inhibited UGT1A1 with an IC50 value of 62.4±4.40 μg/mL and a Ki value of 53 μg/mL.
Blueberry also weakly inhibited UGT2B7 with an IC50 value of 147±11.1 μg/mL. In
addition, cranberry weakly inhibited UGT1A9 activity (IC50=458±49.7 μg/mL) and
raspberry ketones weakly inhibited UGT2B7 activity (IC50=248±28.2 μg/mL). Among
tested berries, blueberry showed the lowest IC50 value in the inhibition of
UGT1A1 in vitro. However, the co-administration of blueberry had no effect on
the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan and its active metabolite, SN-38, which was
mainly eliminated via UGT1A1, in vivo. Our data suggests that these five berries
are unlikely to cause clinically significant herb-drug interactions mediated via
inhibition of UGT enzymes involved in drug metabolism.
North American berries commonly
consumed by Americans
Common berries include blackberry ( Rubus spp.), black raspberry ( Rubus
occidentalis), blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum), cranberry (i.e., the American
cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, distinct from the European cranberry, V.
oxycoccus), pomegranate ( Punica granatum), red raspberry ( Rubus idaeus) and
strawberry ( Fragaria x ananassa).
North American berries consumed by tribal communities
These include chokecherry Prunus virginiana, highbush cranberry Viburnum trilobum, serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia, and silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea.
Berries popular in other parts of the
world
Acai berry ( Euterpe oleraceae) from Brazil, arctic bramble ( Rubus articus),
bilberries ( Vaccinuim myrtillus; also known as bog whortleberries), black
currant ( Ribes nigrum), boysenberries ( Rubus spp.), cloudberries ( Rubus
chamaemorus), crowberries ( Empetrum nigrum, E. hermaphroditum),
Elderberry ( Sambucus spp.),
Goji berries ( Lycium barbarum; also known as wolfberry),
gooseberry ( Ribes uva-crispa), lingonberries ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea),
loganberry ( Rubus loganobaccus), maqui berry ( Aristotelia chilensis) from
Chile, marionberries ( Rubus spp.), Rowan berries ( Sorbus spp.), and sea
buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides), are also popularly consumed in other parts of
the world.
Chemical Composition
Some of the known substances include
vitamins A, C, and E and folic acid; calcium and selenium; beta-carotene,
alpha-carotene, and lutein;
polyphenols such as ellagic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid,
quercetin, and
several anthocyanins; and phytosterols such as beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol,
and kaempferol.
Strawberries have several anthocyanins
The phenolics in strawberries include cyanidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin,
pelargonidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-rutinoside, kaempferol, quercetin,
3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl-acrylic acid,
glucose ester of ( E)- p-coumaric acid, and ellagic acid.
Quercetins
Bioavailability of quercetin from berries and the diet.
Nutr Cancer. 2006. Department of Health and Functional Capacity,
National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
Berries are a rich source of various polyphenols, including the flavonoid
quercetin. In this article, the results of three intervention studies
investigating the bioavailability of quercetin from berries are reviewed. In the
first study, we investigated the short-term kinetics of quercetin after
consumption of black currant juice and showed that quercetin is rapidly absorbed
from it. In the second study, we showed that plasma quercetin levels increase up
to 50% in subjects consuming 100 g/day of bilberries, black currants, and
lingonberries as a part of their normal diets for 2 mo. In the third study,
healthy subjects consumed a diet high or low in vegetables, berries, and other
fruit for 6 wk. Quercetin concentrations nearly doubled in the high-vegetable,
-berry, and -other fruit group and decreased by 30% in subjects consuming less
of these foods than normally. The results showed that plasma quercetin is
bioavailable from a diet containing berries and indicate that it may be a good
biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake in general.
Phytochemicals in berries
Much of the antioxidant power of fruits and vegetables comes not from the classic antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C, but from natural protective compounds called phytochemicals. These include a number of categories such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid, pterostilbene, and countless others. Anthocyanins are a group of phytochemicals that give many berries their red color. In laboratory studies, anthocyanins inhibit growth of lung, colon and leukemia cancer cells without affecting growth of healthy cells. Decreased cancer development is also seen in animals given anthocyanins. Ellagic acid is another important phytochemical in virtually all berries. More than a simple antioxidant, ellagic acid also blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. In animals, it has inhibited development of colon, esophageal, liver, lung and skin cancers stemming from a variety of carcinogens. Pterostilbene is yet another powerful antioxidant phytochemical that seems to affect metabolic processes to decrease development of both cancer and heart disease. Blueberries are an excellent source of this relative of the health-promoting resveratrol that is found in grapes and red wine. Phytochemicals seem to be a vital part of the benefits we get from berries. One study showed that strawberries’ power to inhibit cancer cell growth was unrelated to their antioxidant content, suggesting that the direct influences of the phytochemicals on cancer development are very important. Concentrations of phytochemicals normally found in the blood after eating berries are enough to substantially decrease cancer cells’ growth and to stimulate their self-destruction, but more study is needed. Overall, research on phytochemicals shows that looking at the effects of single foods does not show the full picture. Studies show that a wide range of phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans act together in ways far greater than would be expected from looking at them individually. That’s why, as fabulously healthy as berries are, the bottom line has to be abundance and variety of many fruits and vegetables.
Additional articles that provide more information
Açaí Euterpe oleracea information can be found at
acai berry extract web site.
Blackberry Rubus ursinus
Black raspberry Rubus occidentalis
Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum
Blueberry Vaccinium spp.
Cranberry Vaccinium spp.
Goji Lycium barbarum
Grape Vitis spp.
Natal plum
Red raspberry Rubus idaeus
Sea buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides
Strawberry Fragaria spp.