Eating blueberries slashes colon cancer risk by 57 percent, animal study finds

by Mike Adams

A compound found in blueberries shows promise of preventing colon cancer, according to a new study. Scientists at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted a joint study on animals, and found that the compound -- called pterostilbene -- lessened pre-cancerous lesions and inhibited genes involved in inflammation. Researchers presented the study at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in March.

"This study underscores the need to include more berries in the diet, especially blueberries," said study leader Bandaru Reddy, Ph.D., a professor in the chemical biology department at Rutgers. Although the blueberry compound won't cure colon cancer, it represents a strategy for preventing the disease naturally, said Reddy, who specializes in studying the relationship between nutrition and colon cancer.

The researchers studied 18 rats in which colon cancer had been induced in a manner similar to human colon cancer development. All of the animals were placed on a balanced diet, with half of the animals' diets supplemented with pterostilbene. After eight weeks, the rats fed pterostilbene had 57 percent fewer pre-cancerous colon lesions compared to the control group. The researchers also noted that pterostilbene inhibited certain genes involved in inflammation, considered a colon cancer risk factor.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. It has been linked to a high intake of saturated fats and calories common in Western diets. Pterostilbene may be able to reverse this process, possibly by lowering lipids, Reddy said.

Colon Cleanse Your Way To Better Health

Reddy cited a recent study by co-author Agnes Rimando of the Department of Agriculture. Rimando demonstrated that blueberries, particularly their skins, can lower cholesterol when fed to animals.

Some thirty different species of blueberries are native to North America. The berries are rich in anthocyanins, widely recognized for their antioxidant qualities. Blueberries are also a good source of ellagic acid, which blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer.

Source: Natural News

Milk Destroys Antioxidant Benefits in Blueberries

by: Barbara L. Minton

Not much is better than a bowl of fresh blueberries. Bursting with flavor and sweetness, low in calories, and packed with nutrients and antioxidants, these tiny fruits are anti-aging superstars. There is however one word of caution. Blueberries lose their power when eaten with milk.

Blueberries have a high affinity for milk protein

A new study reported in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine investigated whether antioxidant properties of blueberries were reduced because of their affinity for protein. They assessed the bioavailability of phenolics after consumption of blueberries with and without milk. Phenolics are the active compounds in plants that give blueberries their antioxidant potential.

Volunteers consumed 200 g of blueberries with 200 ml of either water or whole milk. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at intervals following consumption. The samples revealed that ingestion of blueberries with water increased plasma levels and concentrations of caffeic and ferulic acids. When blueberries and milk were ingested together, there was no increase in plasma antioxidant capacity. There was a reduction in the peak plasma concentrations of caffeic and ferulic acids as well as the overall absorption of caffeic acid.

Ferulic acid provides rigidity to cell walls and protects the nervous system. It has a normalizing effect on blood pressure. Caffeic acid is also a powerful protector of neurons. Other research has shown caffeic acid has the potential to prevent neurodegenerative disease.

This study suggests that the best way to gain maximum benefits from blueberries and other fruits eaten for their polyphenol content is to consume them either one hour before protein is consumed, or two hours after.

The effects of ferulic and caffeic acids on neurons may be what give blueberries their ability to influence cognition and learning. A study reported in the August, 2008 journal Nutrition and Neuroscience looked at cognitive impairment in age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's as being due to long-term exposure and increased susceptibility to inflammatory insults. They investigated whether polyphenols in blueberries could reduce the deleterious effects of induced inflammation.

Rats were fed a diet that included a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), or a 2 percent blueberry diet. After two weeks and behavioral evaluation, the rats were examined and total RNA from the hippocampus was extracted to analyze the expression of inflammation-related genes. The researchers found the blueberry diet was able to improve cognitive performance to a much greater degree than was the NSAID diet. Blueberry eaters showed a reduction in several factors influencing the inflammatory response. They concluded that blueberry polyphenols can lessen learning impairments resulting from neurotoxic insult and exert anti-inflammatory actions, perhaps by alteration of gene expression.

Other studies have found that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging animals, making them mentally equivalent to animals much younger.

Blueberries are antioxidant powerhouses

Researchers at Tufts University recently analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capabilities. Blueberries were tops among all that were studied, ranking highest in the capacity to destroy free radicals. Antioxidants in blueberries neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.

The pigments that give blueberries their color improve the structure of veins and the vascular system. They enhance the effects of vitamin C and inhibit enzymes from cleaving the collagen matrix. Maintaining a stable collagen matrix is essential for health of bones, tendons, cartilage and connective tissue. The collagen matrix is what keeps skin from wrinkling and sagging.

Eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day including blueberries lowers risk of age-related macular degeneration, the primary cause of vision loss in older adults. Blueberries are loaded with eye healthy and vision preserving carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, and flavonoids like rutin, resveratrol and quercitin. And they contain a wealth of minerals needed for vision and overall health, like selenium and zinc.

Blueberries are high in the soluble fiber pectin, which has been shown to lower cholesterol. They provide greater cardio-protective antioxidant capability than red wine.

Blueberries' cancer fighting properties are legendary. Ellagitannins is probably the most highly prized compound in blueberries because of its ability to block metabolic pathways that can lead to the initiation and promotion of cancer. A study reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that blueberries inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and induce programmed cell death. Blueberries contain kaempferol. This compound was shown in the Women's Health Study to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 percent in women who diets provided the greatest amounts. Blueberries also contain pterostilbene, another powerful cancer fighting compound.

Both diarrhea and constipation can be relieved with blueberries. Their tannin concentration helps reduce inflammation in the digestive tract as well as in the urinary tract. They provide safety form the bacteria that cause food borne illnesses.

Blueberries are terrific anti-depressants and mood elevators.

Choosing and using blueberries

For many people seeing the price tag for fresh organic blueberries is a real jolt. Some of the cost can be minimized by buying wild blueberries. These are often the same quality as those certified organic. Frozen blueberries provide all the antioxidant potential and other nutrients found in fresh ones. If you are looking for frozen berries, check the bag to make sure the berries move around freely and are not stuck together, indicating they have been thawed and refrozen. If you like some juice with your blueberries, frozen is the way to go.

As a general rule, the riper the fruit the greater its antioxidant content.

Organic dried blueberries are also a good choice, especially for snacking since the sweetness is accentuated by the drying process. The antioxidant potential of dried blueberries can be as much as four times greater than that of fresh. Organic dried berries will have been dried at temperatures low enough to protect their antioxidant capabilities.

Heat is a destroyer of the antioxidant potential of blueberries, making canned or other processed berries a poor choice. Fresh or frozen blueberries can be pureed and fed to babies. Blueberries in baby food jars will have lost most of their nutritional value.

Sources:
US Highbush Blueberry Council, blueberry.org.
Organic Facts, Health Benefits of Blueberries, organicfacts.net.
Blueberries, WHFoods, whfoods.com.
Natural News

Blueberries, cranberries, strawberries all contain powerful phytochemicals that fight cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol and more

by Mike Adams

Here's more good news on how nature can help you prevent and reverse chronic disease. Berries such as blueberries, cranberries, strawberries and raspberries are rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals that prevent and even reverse serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and even help lower cholesterol levels. The key is to be eating these berries in their raw, whole fruit form rather than trying to eat processed berries or drink fruit drinks made from berries. In order to get the healing phytonutrients, you must get the berries in the freshest form possible -- that means no processed berries, just raw berries, right off the bush or straight from the grocery store.

What is so interesting about these berries is why are they such powerful disease fighters. Berries contain a variety of phytochemicals and antioxidants -- many of these are what give the plants their color but they also add a sense of flavor to the berries. These phytonutrients are extremely powerful compounds for supporting optimum human health; in fact they are far more powerful than any pharmaceutical in terms of providing healthy benefits without dangerous side effects.

Plants are pharmaceutical factories, but unlike human-built pharmaceutical factories, when edible plants create healing phytochemicals they are precisely the compounds that your body needs to be healthy, and they are available without the negative side effects that are frequently associated with prescription drugs. Compared to other fruit sources, berries offer the highest content of antioxidants and phytochemicals for fighting disease. Berries are also rich in many vitamins and minerals, including calcium, magnesium and zinc -- minerals that are frequently deficient in the diets of most Americans.

Now let's take a closer look at the different berries and discuss what's so good about them. Blueberries are perhaps the most powerful berries in terms of antioxidant content: they are high in flavonoids and are known to help protect against prostate cancer, urinary tract infections and cataracts. They are also known to protect against brain damage from strokes and heart disease.

Cranberries are perhaps best known for preventing urinary tract infections, but they have also been shown to prevent breast cancer and reduce stomach ulcers. Cranberries can also be used to help decrease LDL cholesterol levels.

Strawberries are high in antioxidants and vitamin C. They are known to fight heart disease and provide a number of vitamins and minerals that support overall human health.

Raspberries are known for their ability to fight cancer thanks to the phytochemical content and abundant supply of vitamins and minerals. The bottom line is that berries can be an extremely powerful disease-fighting part of your daily diet. Simply choose a variety of berries -- blue, red, and purple -- and be sure to get them into your body on a frequent basis (at least a couple of times each week.) Remember, nature provides everything that your body needs in order to be healthy and prevent chronic disease, but you have to trust nature in order to experience a disease-free life. To do that it's important to give your body the optimum nutrition provided by the fruits and vegetables found in nature... these include not only the berries that have been discussed in this article but also vegetables like broccoli, garlic, ginger, carrots, cabbage and onions.

There exists a dietary system that suggests we should eat a variety of food colors, and this makes a lot of sense from a nutritional standpoint -- as long as you are eating foods that are colored naturally and not colored with artificial colors. It's a fantastic idea to eat a little bit of orange, a little bit of green, a little bit of blue and so on in order to get all of the phytochemicals and antioxidants that your body needs. Attention to the color of foods is especially noted in Asian cultures, where foods are prepared with particular attention to their color content and sometimes food ingredients are added merely for their colors.

In the American diet, however, we tend to eat foods primarily based on their taste, not necessarily on their color. And when we choose foods based on colors, it's typically the colors provided by chemical additives such as sodium nitrite or artificial colors such as FD&C yellow number 2. In reality, these colors are only added by food manufacturers in an effort to trick human consumers into believing their foods are fresh or healthy. In fact there is a strong correlation between the perceived colors of foods and drinks and your body's desire for them. That's because in nature, foods with strong saturated colors such as berries are extremely good for you, so the body possesses a built in wisdom to choose foods that have deep, rich, saturated colors.

Yes, I Want To Lower My Cholesterol And Revitalise My Health!

Pay attention to this innate desire by choosing foods with these colors (and that includes berries and vegetables I have already discussed), but don't let food manufacturing companies fool you into purchasing their products by simply adding artificial colors or printing pretty packaging that shows highly saturated colors for a food item. That's a deception. One of the best examples of this is the sports drinks that look neon red or neon green. This is a consumer deception: the color is simply added as a chemical and has nothing whatsoever to do with the nutritional content of such drinks.

Source: Natural News