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Nature's #1 Antioxidant Fruit
Recently published USDA
research (2004) confirms that a serving of Wild Blueberries
delivers more antioxidant power than 20 different fruits and
berries - including cultivated blueberries.
For the first time, the
USDA evaluated both Wild (lowbush) and cultivated (highbush)
blueberries in its antioxidant study and found that Wild
topped its cultivated cousins by 48%. A serving of Wild
Blueberries also outranked a serving of cranberries,
strawberries, prunes and raspberries in terms of antioxidant
capacity.
According to Dr. Ronald
Prior, lead researcher on the study from the USDA Arkansas
Children’s Nutrition Center and Agricultural Research
Service, “Wild Blueberries are stars in terms of their
antioxidant capacity… This is the most comprehensive study
of antioxidant capacity, using the most advanced
technologies, and will serve as an important benchmark for
future fruit and vegetable research.”
Scientists attribute the
high antioxidant capacity of Wild Blueberries to
anthocyanin, the phytonutrient responsible for the berry’s
deep blue color. The new USDA findings support previous
studies indicating that Wild Blueberries are consistently
higher than cultivated blueberries in anthocyanin, as well
as total phenolics and antioxidant capacity.
John Sauvé of the Wild
Blueberry Association of USA, commented, “There is no longer
any doubt that Wild Blueberries have more antioxidant
activity than cultivated blueberries… these findings clearly
show a difference between types of blueberries, with Wild
Blueberries emerging as a power fruit.”
(Source:
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,
52:4026-4037, 2004 and The Wild Blueberry Association of
USA, www.wildblueberries.com)
Recent
USDA studies (1998) show that Wild Blueberries are a tasty
way to eat right and stay healthy. Scientists at the Jean
Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging ranked
blueberries #1 in antioxidant activity compared with 40
other commercially available fruits and vegetables.
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blueberry library page.
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