Blueberries

    Blueberries have been touted for their anti-oxidant effects; they have many positive aspects that make eating these tasty, little berries worthwhile.   The Food Revolution Network (www.foodrevolution.org) listed ‘Seven Great Reason to Eat More Blueberries Every Day’; 1. Berries stop Heart Attacks.  Using a report from the Harvard Schools of Public Health and the Univ. Of East Angelia (Nurses Health Study II) they state that ‘women who ate three or more servings of blueberries and strawberries per week reduced their risk of heart attack by as much as one-third.  Other fruits and vegetables did not enjoy the same reduce heart attack risk.’ That’s impressive. 2. Blueberries can lower your blood pressure…the study done on 48 post-menopausal women with stage one or pre-hypertension. The 24 women who too Blueberry freeze-dried blueberry power daily for 8 weeks dropped their systolic (5.1%) and diastolic (6.3%) blood pressures.  Placebo group had no change. Okay, it’s only 24 women but the results are positive. 3. Blueberries Boost Vascular Health. Reviewing studies from Florida State University and others revealed the polyphenols in blueberries has a significant and positive effect on the “flow-mediated dilation”, the scientific gold standard to measure endothelial function and a good predictor of cardiovascular disease risk.  4. Prevent Cancer with Blueberries. A study in “Nutrition” journal revealed that daily blueberries increase the natural killer cells which play a critical role in the immune systems’s defense agains foreign invaders like viruses and tumors. 5. Berries Protect Lungs. A study in the the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed 839 participants from the VA Normative Aging Study and found that ‘over 16 years men who ate two or more servings of blueberries a week had up to 37.9 % less decline in their lung function. 6. Berries Improve Insulin Sensitivity.  A double blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical study in ‘The journal of Nutrition’ found that bio active compounds found in Blueberries improved insulin sensitivity. 7. Blueberries Keep Your Brain Young. A study in the ‘Annals of Neurology’ found that anthocyanins in the blueberries can slow brain aging by up to 2.5 years.

Blueberries could have significant impact on your C-V health, cancer prevention, and brain power; impressive, most impressive.  Since almost all fruits and vegetables are loaded with herbicides and pesticides I would suggest Organic Blueberries would be much safer.  It’s really hard to fool Mother Nature. Stay Healthy and Happy, Vegan Doc.