[Follow the Wikipedia links]
Chemicals naturally synthesized by plants -- called phytochemicals where phyto = "plant" -- are suspected (but not yet research-validated) of providing health benefits.
They are different in definition from nutrients known to be essential for human health.
Many phytochemicals are being isolated and tested in the laboratory
now to define their properties.
See Part 1 of this series on resveratrol (click!)
See Part 2 on cyanidins.
Many are very promising and 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
- committing to daily use of colorful foods is a reminder to eat wisely and live a healthy lifestyle
Courtesy, Superberries-UK
When should we eat berries and other foods
rich in phytochemicals?
The answer is simple in two parts:
1) with each meal
2) every day
What benefit does this provide?
New research from the US Department of Agriculture
scientific team that invented the ORAC test
Authors: Prior RL, Gu L, Wu X, Jacob RA, Sotoudeh G, Kader AA, Cook RA.
Affiliation:
USDA Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA.
Research title (paraphrased into simpler English!): Changes in blood antioxidant levels following a meal as a demonstration for how food alters antioxidant status in the human body.
Publication: Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2007 26(2):170-181.
click here for the original abstract
Key Results and Interpretations:
- eating blueberries or red grapes as part of a meal increases antioxidant capacity of the blood (these berries are just examples -- any colorful fruit or vegetable would do the same)
- however, the rise in blood antioxidant status resulting from phytochemical-dense foods lasts only 2-4 hours because the phytochemicals are cleared into tissues, urine, metabolized or neutralized in antioxidant reactions -- this means the antioxidants are available only for 2-4 hours so need to be replenished with more intake
- in other words, unless phytochemical-rich foods are eaten every 4 hours, antioxidant capacity in the body decreases
- therefore, eating foods rich in phytochemicals -- like blueberries, red grapes, other dark berries or color-rich vegetables or fruits -- with each meal is recommended for meals and snacks throughout the day in order to prevent a) the decline of antioxidant capacity caused by bland foods and b) periods between meals when antioxidant status in the body falls
Click here to read an industry interview with lead author, Dr. Ronald Prior, about this study
What are easy ways to include
phytochemicals in our daily meal and snacks?
Follow the Color Code
Read the Berry Doctor's interview with Dr. David Heber,
advocate of eating a colorful diet and
Professor of Nutrition, University of California - Los Angeles
- Even consuming simple servings of fresh fruit or their juices helps to maintain antioxidant status in the blood between meals. Red grape, orange and apple juices were effective in a human study, click for the abstract
- Red grape, grapefruit, cranberry and apple juices are all high in phytochemical content, click for the abstract
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