Annual Health Summit Reveals Promising Benefits
of Wild Blueberries
Scientists around the world are captivated by the power of Wild Blueberries. Research into this potent little blue fruit, grown wild in Maine and Canada, has already yielded important results in areas of disease and healthy aging. In August, fourteen of these renowned scientists from laboratories, universities, research centers, and hospitals from around the U.S. and Canada gathered in Bar Harbor, Maine for the 11th annual Wild Blueberry Research Summit to review and present compelling new research in the fields of neuroscience, aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer, eye health and other health-related areas. The resulting research has the potential to contribute to the Wild Blueberry’s fascinating role in brain health, cellular activity, and healthy aging.
Since 1998, the leading researchers that comprise the Wild Blueberry Research Summit have met to share findings of clinical trials and explore opportunities for future collaboration in the field of Wild Blueberry health research. The scientists, known collectively as “The Bar Harbor Group,” have a strong ongoing interest in understanding how Wild Blueberries may both prevent and forestall age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration.
Recent discoveries attribute potential health benefits of the Wild Blueberry to antioxidants such as anthocyanin, anti-inflammatories and other natural compounds found in their deep blue pigment. Wild Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity per serving compared with more than 20 other fruits, and they sit at the center of the attention-grabbing topics of disease prevention and age-related health risks. In addition to fighting oxidative stress, blueberries are now thought to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Part of this year’s Health Summit focused on the promising area of brain health. Blueberries are widely known as a natural “brain food” because of their potential positive effects on the brain. Ongoing research in the area of brain health shows that blueberries may improve motor skills and actually reverse the short-term memory loss that comes with aging. This year’s presentations yielded new information from researchers from the USDA-ARS Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, whose study focused on whether polyphenols in blueberries can reduce the effects of inflammation in the brain. Results showed that blueberry-fed animals demonstrated improved cognitive performance compared to the control (Nutritional Neuroscience, 2008, Aug; 11(4): 172-82).
Also a focus of this year’s Summit was how blueberries act on a cellular level. Ongoing research includes an investigation into how commonly available fruits measure on a new advanced cellular antioxidant assay. This CAA measure provides scientists with valuable insight into how antioxidant compounds potentially react in the body. Antioxidants help protect against disease and age-related health risks by battling against free radicals - unstable oxygen molecules associated with cancer, heart disease and the effects of aging. Phytonutrients, natural substances found in fruits and vegetables, act as antioxidants and neutralize free radicals, helping to prevent cell damage. Previous work in the field of antioxidant activity at the cellular level found that Wild Blueberries outperformed cranberries, apples and both red and green grapes (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2007; 55 (22), 8896-8907).
The dedicated scientists that comprise the Wild Blueberry Health Summit will continue to tap the potential of Wild Blueberries. Clinical trials presented this year included an investigation into potential effects of Wild Blueberry-enhanced diets on satiety; blueberries’ effect on insulin sensitivity, markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, and cognitive performance; and a pilot study investigating how subjects responded to the addition of Wild Blueberry juice to their diet, which may include the reduction of depression symptoms.
Read more about “The Bar Harbor Group” and their work in the field of disease prevention and healthy aging.
