Health Benefits

Want to slow down ageing - live longer - keep your mind sharp?

MAKE BLUEBERRIES A HABIT !

Tufts University USA have studies claiming blueberries as the miracle berry. Research shows half a cup per person per day has the ability to reverse the onset of Alzheimer's disease, reduce or reverse the rigours of old age, arthritis, skin ageing and has some positive effect on cancers and aids. A box of Mamaku Blue free flow blueberries, at half a cup a day, will supply you for months. 

History of the Blueberry

The blueberry, of the genus Vaccinium, is a native American species. In fact the blueberry is one of the few fruits native to North America. For centuries, blueberries were gathered from the forests and the bogs by Native Americans and consumed fresh and also preserved. The Northeast Native American tribes revered blueberries and much folklore developed around them. The blossom end of each berry, the calyx, forms the shape of a perfect five-pointed star; the elders of the tribe would tell of how the Great Spirit sent "star berries" to relieve the children's hunger during a famine. Parts of the blueberry plant were also used as medicine. A tea made from the leaves of the plant was thought to be good for the blood. Blueberry juice was used to treat coughs. The juice also made an excellent dye for baskets and cloth. In food preparation, dried blueberries were added to stews, soups and meats. The dried berries were also crushed into a powder and rubbed into meat for flavour. Blueberries were also used for medicinal purposes along with the leaves and roots. A beef jerky called Sautauthig (pronounced saw-taw-teeg) was made with dried blueberries and meat and was consumed year round. During the seventeenth century, settlers from England arrived in the New World. Immediately, they set about clearing the land and establishing farms for they could not rely solely on supplies from England. But the land and the climate were very different from what they had left behind. Many early attempts at farming failed. In the winter of 1620, the Pilgrims established a settlement at Plimoth (spelled Plymouth today). Many perished during the first few months, but those that survived went on to build homes and establish farms. Their neighbours, the Wampanoag Indians, taught the settlers new skills that helped them survive. They showed them how to plant corn and how to gather and use native plants to supplement their food supply. One important native crop was blueberries!! The colonists learned from Native Americans how to gather blueberries, dry them under the summer's sun and store them for the winter. In time, blueberries became an important food source and were preserved, and later canned. A beverage made with blueberries was an important staple for Civil War soldiers. In the 1880s a blueberry canning industry began in northeast USA.

Medicinal Properties of the Blueberry

New Zealand Woman's Weekly took up the story in more layman's terms explaining that antioxidants are the good guys in our body they help fight potentially harmful free radicals. Without antioxidants, we would be prone to numerous infections and diseases. Antioxidants are produced naturally by our bodies and levels are boosted by the foods we eat. Studies into the benefits of antioxidants are continuing, but research already suggests they offer some protection against heart disease, control urinary tract infections, curb the H.I.V. virus and even cancers. Blueberries are one of the richest food sources of natural antioxidants readily available, having more than twice the levels of other berries. This healthy benefit does not change significantly when the fruit, is manufactured or is held in storage. Blueberries are rich in Anthocyanic acid which lowers blood sugars, and with ellagic acid, a naturally occurring organic acid that has been shown to inhibit cancer cells. Eating blueberries may help you remember where you placed your car keys—important findings if you’d like to keep Alzheimer’s and heart disease at bay. In one study, Jim Joseph, director of the neuroscience laboratory in the USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA), fed blueberry extractions—the equivalent of a human eating one cup of blueberries a day—to mice and then ran them through a series of motor skills tests. He found that the blueberry-fed mice performed better than their control group counterparts in motor behavioural learning and memory, and he noticed an increase in exploratory behaviour. When he examined their brains, he found a marked decrease in oxidative stress in two regions of the brain and better retention of signal-transmitting neurons compared with the control mice. Joseph is currently testing the effects of blueberries on humans. Preliminary results show that people who ate a cup of blueberries a day have performed 5–6% better on motor skills tests than the control group. The chemical that appears responsible for this neuron protection, anthocyanin, also gives blueberries their color and might be the key component of the blueberry’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Blueberries, along with other colorful fruits and vegetables, test high in their ability to subdue oxygen free radicals. These oxygen radicals, which can damage cell membranes and DNA through a process known as oxidative stress, are blamed for many of the dysfunctions and diseases associated with ageing. General Health Benefits Blueberries are of the Vacinium family of plants and in layman's terms, their vitamins and minerals clean the blood. Anthrocyanim is commonly known to aid vision especially at night, ease pain in the eyes, promote sharper vision and is beneficial in other health problems. Heart disease and internal bleeding, abdominal pains and even arthritis appear to be relieved. Blueberry antioxidants are thought to delay aging by their naturally cleansing properties in the body.

Health Research

Antioxidants - Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) have found that blueberries rank #1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants help neutralise harmful by-products of metabolism called "free radicals" that can lead to cancer and other age related diseases. Anthocyanin - the pigment that makes the blueberries blue - is thought to be responsible for this major health benefit.

Anti-Ageing - In another USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) lab, neuroscientists discovered that feeding blueberries to laboratory rats slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity, a finding that has important implications for humans. Again, the high antioxidant activity of blueberries probably played a role.

Disease Prevention - Blueberries may reduce the build up of so called "bad" cholesterol that contributes to cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to scientists at the University of California at Davis. Antioxidants are believed to be the active component.

Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections - Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey have identified a compound in blueberries that promotes urinary tract health and reduces the risk of infection. It appears to work by preventing bacteria from adhering to the cells that line the walls of the urinary tract.

Eye sight - A number of studies in Europe have documented the relationship between bilberries, the European cousin of blueberries, and improved eyesight. This is thought to occur because of the anthocyanin in the blue pigment which is also available in the blueberry. One study in Japan documented that blueberries helped ease eye fatigue.