açaí berries (Euterpe oleracae Mart.) -- a phytochemical vault of cyanidin anti-cancer agents?
[Follow the Wikipedia links]
Chemicals naturally synthesized by plants --phytochemicals (phyto = "plant") -- are suspected (but not research-validated) of providing health benefits.
They are different in definition from nutrients known to be essential for human health.
Across the entire plant world, phytochemicals number as many as 10,000 individual elements including non-nutrient chemicals such as
Many phytochemicals under scientific study now to define their properties
are being isolated and tested in the laboratory.
Some or all may eventually prove effective for human health, but
these will first require years of study in human clinical trials.
So many people rightly ask:
With research proof of health effects so far off,
why should consumers be convinced enough to put plant food sources
like berries into our diets now?
-
research is pointing toward these conclusions
-
the foods are safe to consume in amounts normal for a diet
-
they are enjoyable to use in a diet
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committing to daily use of colorful foods is a reminder to eat wisely and live a healthy lifestyle
Which phytochemicals from berries have shown
sufficient research progress
so we can safely have them in our diets ?
Black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis L.) -- cyanidin-rich, the leading berry in cancer research
A previous entry from the Berry Doctor's Journal on black raspberry phenolics, click
Cyanidins
(pronounced in syllables, it's "sigh-an-i-dins")
Read the Wikipedia page on cyanidins
Cyanidins are members of the anthocyanin group of natural plant pigments
giving blue, red, purple and black colors.
In a laboratory test tube,
cyanidin is red when pH is low (high acidity),
blue at high pH (low acidity) and violet at neutral pH.
Cyanidins are prominent anthocyanins in berries with the
highest ORAC values, like açaí, elderberry and black raspberry
What plants have cyanidins?
- all plants with the above colors
- açaí, blackberries, black raspberries, blueberries, bilberries, cranberries, strawberries, black currants, elderberries
- cyanidins are the most common anthocyanin consumed in the United States, about 45% of total intake (click to read abstract)
- most berries, especially açaí, contain high amounts of cyanidin-3-glucoside whereas black raspberries have high levels of cyanidin-3-rutinoside
What do they do?
- plants make cyanidins in the fruit skin for protection against oxygen radicals produced by photosynthesis, fungal and bacterial infections, and solar radiation
- they provide color and fragrance that may attract foraging animals to eat the fruit, then deposit the seeds elsewhere in droppings, assurring propagation
- in humans, the most likely role is to provide an antioxidant guard
- cyanidins are mainly responsible for the color of fruits and some vegetables we enjoy, so are part of the Color Code!
What research shows their possible human health benefits?
How do we include cyanidins in our diet?
- blue, red or purple fruit products or juices
- purple cabbage, black rice, barley products
- cherries, pomegranate, black and purple plums, prunes
- black or red grapes, Thompson raisins
- black or dark brown beans
- apples with the reddest skins!
- practice the dietary Color Code when you shop and prepare meals -- choose produce items with the brightest colors
- comments on a colorful diet from Dr. David Heber, Professor of Nutrition at UCLA
Dense cyanidin content in wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium L.), Nova Scotia
cyan = "kyanos", Greek for "blue"
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