Berries contain various nutritional benefits, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Eating them can improve overall health and help prevent cancer, reduce inflammation, and boost heart health.
Blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, and goji berries are among the most nutrient-dense berries. These may help prevent various diseases and health conditions, ranging from colon cancer to dementia.
This article explores the proven health benefits of berries, including their benefits for heart health, cancer prevention, improvement of brain health, and mental health.
Berries are delicious, versatile fruits that can greatly benefit the heart. Some berries contain several heart-healthy nutrients, such as antioxidants, and can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
- Blueberries: Blueberries are rich in polyphenols, which boost cardiovascular health by preventing platelet formation issues and decreasing inflammation, which can significantly contribute to heart disease. They can also improve blood pressure and exhibit anticancer, anti-neurodegenerative, and anti-diabetic properties.
- Blackcurrants: Blackcurrants are high in anthocyanins, contributing to their deep purple color and reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs in the body when free radicals (unstable molecules)
damage cells and tissue. - Strawberries: Like blackcurrants, strawberries are high in anthocyanins, which may contribute to lowering blood pressure. They are also high in vitamin C, which is important for healthy heart function and may lower the risk of heart disease.
- Blackberries: Blackberries contain a significant amount of fiber, which can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Fiber’s rich vitamin C content can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Berries may have anticancer properties due to their fiber, vitamin C, and anthocyanin content.
- Blueberries: Sometimes called a “superfood” due to their prolific nutritional profile, blueberries are high in phenolic acids, which increase cells’ anti-inflammatory and antioxidant defenses and lower cancer risk. Phenolic acids also help promote apoptosis (cell death), a natural process that allows the body to remove damaged or cancerous cells.
- Black raspberries: Black raspberries
are also high in anthocyanins, which inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors in test tube research and animal studies. - Strawberries: Strawberries are high in vitamin C and antioxidants, which may help reduce cancer risk, though research is conflicting.
- Blackberries: Blackberries are a good source of fiber. Dietary fiber is especially important for reducing many types of cancer, particularly colon cancer.
Eating berries carries many benefits for brain health, including improving memory, preventing neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, and slowing the aging process.
- Strawberries: Strawberries may have dementia-fighting properties. Their high anthocyanin content offers neuroprotective effects by decreasing the expression of inflammatory markers in the brain. They also help neutralize reactive oxygen compounds that can cause oxidative damage.
- Blueberries: Blueberries may reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, due to their high polyphenol content. Some studies also show they may improve learning and memory.
- Goji berries: Goji berries are small bright red berries native to China, with a sour and tart taste. A 2020 study found that they improve neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt, in rats. However, human studies are necessary.
- Acai berries: Acai berries are small purple berries native to the Amazon region. A 2022 animal study found that acai berries reduced certain neurological changes caused by vascular dementia. They are also high in polyphenols, compounds that have antioxidant properties and can reduce oxidative damage, a leading contributor to aging.
- Cranberries: A 2022 study found that consuming cranberry supplements (equivalent to 1 cup of fresh cranberries) daily for 12 weeks improved memory and neural functioning in healthy older adults.
Mental health conditions can range from anxiety to depression. As berries contain compounds with neuroprotective properties, they may help improve overall mental health.
- Blueberries: A 2024 study found that juice from blueberries reduced depressive symptoms, low mood, and generalized anxiety, but only temporarily. More research is necessary.
- Strawberries: Interestingly, some studies have found that looking at berry plants can improve mental health. A 2020 study found that staring at strawberry plants for 15 minutes decreased cortisol and relieved negative emotions such as stress, tension, and confusion.
- Blackberries: A
2020 animal study found that blackberry extract may reduce manic episodes in rats experiencing bipolar disorder. Although human studies are necessary, the authors hypothesized that blackberry extract may help prevent or reduce manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder.
Berries have various benefits, including reducing inflammation and cancer risk, protecting the body from oxidative damage, and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
Berries taste great and can improve a person’s health in many ways. Try eating berries as a snack or adding them to various dishes such as oatmeal, yogurt, or salads.
Source - Medical News Today
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