berrysymposium

[follow the Wikipedia links]

On June 22-23 in Monterey, California, international scientists specializing in berry research gathered to present recent lab results and speculate on how berries in the diet may benefit human health.

Yes, may benefit human health -- we all accept berries as healthful foods for the nutrients and phytochemicals they contain and the pleasure for including them in our diets.

But, as shown by the content of the presentations at this year's Berry Health Symposium, scientists are still many years away from defining how berries actually improve health or lower disease risk.

Science must proceed this way -- step by slow step -- to assemble all peer-reviewed evidence and painstakingly piece together the puzzle of facts and truth.

The Symposium's major sponsor was a US national coalition of berry growers and processors -- the National Berry Crops Initiative -- click here to read about the mission of this body.

NBCI Vision Statement

Consumption of berry crops provided by the American

berry crop industry will triple by 2020. As a result, the American

berry crop industry will be viewed as a model of

agricultural efficiency, sustainability and prosperity.

Berry crop consumption will result in improved

human health and nutrition and prosperity

for rural and agricultural communities.

Symposium Highlights

Topical Black Raspberry Extract and Skin Cancer

Tatiana Oberyszyn, PhD, Dept. of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus

Snapshot: These studies indicate that the anti-inflammatory properties of black raspberry extract were effective in decreasing ultraviolet (UV) induced tumor development in mice even when applied following significant prior UV exposure. These studies provide evidence for the potential use of this berry extract as an alternative to drugs in prevention of UV-induced skin cancer.

Berry Tannins and Gut Health

Jess Reed, PhD, Dept. of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Snapshot: The anti-adherence properties of berry tannins, similar to the anti-bacterial properties of cranberry proanthocyanidins, may provide protection from pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Heilicobacter pylori, and dental or gum pathogens. The antioxidant properties of tannins may prevent lipid oxidation in the gut, reducing oxidized lipoproteins which lead to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Food Pairings for Healthy Brain Aging

Jim Joseph, PhD, USDA-ARS at Tufts University, Boston

Snapshot: Addition of berries (e.g., blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries) and walnuts to the diet may increase “health span” in aging. For example, elderly people with memory loss given blueberry juice twice a day (up to 12 ounces for 12 wks) showed significant improvements in cognition.

Importantly, it may be valuable to consider the idea of “food pairings for health” which relates to the possible synergy among various berries in conjunction with walnuts or other nuts.

For all the abstracts presented

at this year's symposium,

click here!

Check out the

new Archives just for superfruit essays, click!

Twitter for Superfruits News

We're starting a new online update feature using Twitter, a free micro-blogging service where we can periodically broadcast news updates on berries and superfruits.

Twitter is simply a "short message service" (SMS), just 140 characters for quickly broadcasting a message to our educational network of subscribers for the Berry Doctor's Journal. SMS is the same technology as cell phone texting, short messages being used by over 2 billion people. It's the fastest growing network service on the internet.

And you can reply using Twitter to stimulate a conversation or follow-up question.

To give Twitter a try and receive these news capsules -- even on your cell phone! -- go to Twitter.com and sign up with your own name or handle.

Then visit twitter.com/superfruitsbook where you need to click on "Follow" to be linked into Berry Doctor "tweets" on superfruit news.