When you purchase blueberries in the store, or eat them in Grandma’s pie, you are not just enjoying a tasty fruit snack, you are imbibing a truly health inducing food substance. Blueberries are native to North America, and are on the list of the worlds 130 healthiest foods. The tiny berry, 5-16 mm in diameter at maturity, is best known for its anthrocyanin content. The blue pigment is a powerful antioxidant that is responsible for a host of healthy effects.
All told, blueberries contain as many as 16 or more known health promoting anti-oxidants. Working together, these powerful inflammation fighters confer a strong neuro-protective effect. By shielding nerves from inflammatory insult, they limit CNS damage during stroke and improve memory in healthy or sick adults. In like manner, the luscious blue fruit can slow cognitive decline in persons with Alzheimer’s disease.
Like other antioxidant containing foods, blueberries alleviate symptoms of cardiac disease, but the little dynamos of health have additional healing abilities. Dr. Arpita Basu, doctor at Oklahoma State U. discovered that anthracyadins in the berry relax arteries and stimulate NO, resulting in blood vessel expansion. This explains why the tasty fruit reduces blood pressure.
When consumed on a regular basis, blueberries lessen blood sugar level, decrease urinary tract infections, and at high doses block replication of the Hepatitis C virus. They grows from May to late summer, and considering their health profile they are well worth including in your summer diet.