New Delhi: Blueberries are sweet, nutritious and wildly popular. Often labelled a “superfood,” they are low in calories and incredibly good for you. They are so tasty and convenient that many people consider them to be their favorite fruit.
Blueberries have reached superstar status in terms of their unique health benefits. While we prefer to think of all the World’s Healthiest Foods as rightful superstars, we can understand many of the special accolades being given to this wonderful berry.
Most health research on blueberries involves their phytonutrient content. Anthocyanins – the colorful antioxidant pigments that give many foods their wonderful shades of blue, purple, and red – are usually the first phytonutrients to be mentioned in descriptions of blueberries and their amazing health-supportive properties.
Eating blueberries may slow ageing, improve vision and memory, according to a new study which found that people are less aware of the benefits of the fruit.
Researchers from University of Florida wanted to determine how much consumers know about blueberry health benefits and see if there is a knowledge gap with blueberry health benefits among demographic groups.
They surveyed more than 2,000 people across the US to see what they know about the health benefits of blueberries.
Most were aware of the benefits of blueberries in warding off cancer and lowering the risk of heart disease. The study also found that low-income populations tend to know less about blueberry health benefits.
“People being more familiar with blueberries as deterrents for cancer and heart disease may be related to the high general awareness of these two diseases,” said Shuyang Qu, a doctoral student in agricultural education and communication at the University of Florida, who led the study.