Blueberry Antioxidant

Blueberries Benefits to Your Health

Anthrocyanins act as antioxidants protecting body cells from the damages causes by free radicals or oxidation.

Some of the beneficial substances found in blueberries are

flavonoids,

phenolics,

anthocyanins, and

carotenoids.

Health Benefits of Blueberries

Flavonoids are water soluble plant pigments. They support health by strengthening capillaries and other connective tissue, and some function as

anti-inflammatory,

antihistaminic, and

antiviral agents.

USDA scientists Dr. Ronald Prior and Dr. Guohua Cao have demonstrated that blueberries contain the highest antioxidant capacity of the 40 different fruits and vegetables tested.

"The antioxidant characteristics in blueberries appear to be due largely to anthocyanins," said Dr. Prior, whose has been a key researcher in the role of antioxidants.

Wild blueberries contain one of the highest anthocyanin levels of berries commercially available in North America.

Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Boston, MA), blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity.

Using the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) test, researchers have shown that a serving of fresh blueberries provides more antioxidant activity than many other fresh fruits and vegetables.

Including blueberries in your macular degeneration diet is another way of getting antioxidant rich food to help quelch the damage caused by free radicals.

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Contact Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

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