by ROSEMARIE GLANVILLE

Created on: May 15, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

Most of us know that blueberries taste good. I can still remember the wonderful blueberry pies we had to follow our school dinners, but alas school meals are not like they used to be in my day.

Did you know that blueberries are also classed as a super food? This is because they are full of antioxidants and health giving properties. They are low in sugar and high in fiber. Research has found them to have a high ORAC value.

Research on animals, at Tufts University, has showed considerable improvement in short-term memory. The animals showed improvement after being given daily extracts from blueberries, spinach and strawberries. This was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Blueberries are also beneficial in promoting a healthy urinary tract. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine has demonstrated that blueberries contain compounds, which prevent bacteria attaching to the bladder wall. Most of us know cranberries work in this way, but blueberries are not so widely promoted.

The Japanese regard wild blueberries as the vision fruit. This is because they are high in anthocyanin, which is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that has been shown to improve night vision and reduce eyestrain. Research is being planned to show whether they are effectual in preventing macular degeneration.

In order to get the full health benefits from blueberries, you only need to eat half a cup each day. I love blueberries on my cereals in the morning, and they make a wonderful smoothie.

You may also be interested to hear that research at a University in Illinois has found that flavanoid in wild blueberries inhibits an enzyme, which is known to promote cancer. They tested many fruits, but blueberries have the highest anti-cancer action.

Blueberries are also good for you if you are trying to lose weight. In fact many of the most popular weight loss plans promote them.

The Center for Human Nutrition, at the University of California considers that there is such an overwhelming body of firmly established research that berry fruits, such as blueberries, have a profound and positive effect on our performance, health and disease prevention that they consider it vitally important, as much information as possible should be given to the general public. They believe that it is absolutely necessary that we should be informed about the benefits of this super food.

However it is so reassuring to know that so many people enjoy the taste of blueberries, because it seems that as a nation, we are not that good at eating foods, just because we have been told they are good for us.

This has been proven by research at Nanyang Polytechnic College in Singapore. In their study they concluded that nutrition information, in the main, did not affect acceptability scores in their participants. (PMID: 17995666)

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