Berry News

In this section of the website, we'll provide you with a glimpse of recent breaking news from the world of berry science.

The articles shown are selected samples published within the past year. Most recent abstracts will be presented at the top with older ones at the bottom. Also, within each abstract, we will highlight an important message from the authors.

This summary format will provide a brief explanation – the Synopsis of why the research was done – followed by the publication citation and list of authors and their affiliations.

As the articles chosen come mainly from the public domain, including PubMed, the global database of medical research from the US National Library of Medicine (www.pubmed.gov), we have copied the abstract – the summary of science representing the whole scientific report – and present it mainly intact. In some cases, however, scientific jargon has been removed or reworded for clarity to a non-scientific audience.

Finally, we present a brief summary describing why this research was of interest to us and hopefully to users of our products.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) from strawberries prevented the proliferation of breast and colon cancer cells in vitro.

Phenolic chemicals (antioxidants) from açai prevented proliferation of human leukemia cells.

These authors suggest that resveratrol, an phenolic antioxidant extracted from dark berries, can inhibit growth of human breast cancer cells in vitro.

The study proposes that phenolic antioxidants from red grapes can improve blood flow in the arm (presumably other organs also) in patients with heart disease.

Strawberry extracts were shown to produce anti-clotting (anti-thrombotic) properties in mice, an effect possibly mediated by inhibiting platelet activity and by producing antioxidant effects.

Blackcurrant and boysenberry phenolic antioxidants were effective against cellular damage caused by oxidative stress.

Phenolic extracts from blueberries significantly reduce the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro, demonstrating an anti-cancer effect of blueberries.

Cranberry juice consumption daily over a period of just 2 weeks caused a reduction in the levels of low-density lipids, indicating a potential benefit against development of atherosclerosis.

Anthocyanins are phenolic antioxidants common in blueberries. Aged blueberry-fed rats had detectable levels of anthocyanins in their brains and performed better than controls in a cognitive challenge.

Consuming blueberries (and spinach or spirulina) produces a protective effect against brain injury in a rat model of stroke.

Cranberries and other phenolic-rich foods could be readily added to the diet to assure healthy intake of antioxidant-enriched foods.

Daily consumption over 3 months of 500 ml of cranberry juice eliminated symptoms of stomach ulcers in 14% of patients with H. pylori infection.

An anti-tumor fraction from black raspberries – only 1% of the berry's fresh weight – prevented growth of new tumor vessels, indicating a promising anti-cancer effect.

Twenty phenolics (antioxidant pigments common among dark berries) were identified from berries grown in Poland.

Berry News from Online Media

Cranberry compound found to block cancer
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp
?n=63231-cranberry-cancer-proanthocyanidin

Cranberries may reduce heart attacks by improving artery health
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp
?n=59135-cranberries-may-reduce

Berries Benefit Health
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/ACES_Research/
biennial_report/nres_lila.shtml

Nutritional Benefits of Eating Berries
http://nutrition.about.com/od/healthyfood1/a/berries.htm

The Antioxidant Category Gets Colorful
http://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/article.php?ArticleID=2077

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