BAR
HARBOR, Maine (October 3, 2002) – There’s
new evidence that blueberries may have “brain
protecting power.” Early results of a study
directed by neuroscientist James Joseph, Ph.D.,
of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on
Aging at Tufts University indicate that blueberries
may help reduce age-related brain damage that can
lead to conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease.
Dr. Joseph, presenting at the annual meeting of
the American Chemical Society, stated that blueberries
appear to reduce “aging-related damage in
rat brains and can also prevent mental decline
in mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s-like
plaques in their brains.”
The Power of Blue™
One reason for blueberries’ protective power
is their color. According to Dr. Joseph, the pigments
in blue-purple foods like Wild Blueberries are
antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. In USDA studies,
blueberries emerged as number-one in antioxidants
compared with other fruits and vegetables. (Source:
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 44:701-705;
3426-3431, 1996; 46:2686-2693, 1998.) Antioxidants
protect against oxidative cell damage that can
lead to conditions like Alzheimer’s, cancer
and heart disease – conditions also linked
with chronic inflammation. The anti-inflammatory,
antioxidant effects of blue-purple foods like Wild
Blueberries may have the potential to help prevent
these diseases.
Blueberries have also been linked with other health
benefits including urinary tract health and vision
health. These and other benefits are part of the
reason the Wild Blueberry Association of North
America (WBANA) is encouraging consumers to get “The
Power of Blue™” into their diets every
day. According to WBANA executive director John
Sauvé, “Eating a colorful variety
of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables,
including Wild Blueberries, should be a daily practice.”
The Color Connection
Blue – and indeed the whole spectrum of
colors found in fruits and vegetables – is
a hot nutrition topic. According to Dr. Joseph,
co-author of a new book on the subject entitled
The Color Code, “It’s hard to go wrong
if you fortify your diet with colorful foods. Almost
every one of them is loaded with disease-proofing
compounds.” One of the real benefits of “thinking
color” in connection with healthy eating
is its simplicity. According to another co-author
of The Color Code, Anne Underwood, writing in the
September issue of Health magazine, “A diet
that’s rich in the vast spectrum of colorful
fruits and vegetables is the latest (and possibly
easiest to accomplish) nutrition advice coming
from experts.”
The importance of eating a variety of colorful
fruits and vegetables every day is a message that’s
being promoted by a number of organizations involved
in helping Americans maintain healthy lifestyles. “Colorful
fruits and vegetables have proven health-promoting,
disease-fighting benefits,” said Produce
for Better Health Foundation President Elizabeth
Pivonka, R.D., Ph.D. “The national 5 A Day
program will be turning its attention to color
as a quick and easy way to help consumers think
about variety, which is central to good nutrition.
It’s important to think color every day,
because beautifully colored blue/purple, green,
white, yellow/orange and red fruits and vegetables
provide the beneficial vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals
needed to stay healthy and fit.”
According to Sauvé, a good place to start
is with a “Daily Dose of Blue™!”
WBANA
WBANA is an international trade association of
growers and processors of Wild Blueberries from
Maine, Atlantic Canada and Quebec, dedicated to
bringing Wild Blueberries to consumers worldwide.
SOURCE: Wild Blueberry Association of North
America
CONTACTS: John Sauvé, Wild Blueberry
Association of North America, (207) 288-2655 or
Susan Till, SWARDLICK MARKETING GROUP, (207) 775-4100.
WEB SITE: www.wildblueberries.com |
