by Barbara Minton
(Health Secrets) Looking for antioxidants? Go no further than the nearest bowl of blueberries. These tiny low calorie fruits are anti-aging superstars packed with flavor and sweetness. They have single-handedly brought many people back from disease and kept them looking and feeling young. There is just one thing you need to remember. Blueberries lose their power when eaten with milk.
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Blueberries bind with milk protein
Phenols are a group of active compounds in plants that provide many of their antioxidant health benefits. Anthocyanadins are the phenols in blueberries that give them their distinctive bluish purple color and much of their magic, too. A recent study published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine investigated whether the antioxidant properties of blueberries were reduced because of their affinity for milk protein. Researchers assessed the bioavailability of phenols after blueberries were eaten with and without milk protein in a large group of sujects.
They found when blueberries were eaten with water, the usual high antioxidant level was seen in plasma samples. However when blueberries were eaten with milk protein, there was no increase in plasma antioxidant activity. In fact, there was a reduction in the peak plasma concentrations of two powerful antioxidants, caffeic and ferulic acids
Why is this important? Ferulic acid keeps cell walls strong and protects the nervous system. It has a normalizing effect on blood pressure. Caffeic acid is a powerful protector of neurons. Other research has shown caffeic acid has the potential to prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Don’t miss out on these positive effects from blueberries
It has been documented that eating blueberries has a positive influence on cognition and learning, and this effect may come from their ferulic and caffeic acids. A study reported in the journal Nutrition and Neuroscience looked at cognitive impairment in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, as being due to long-term inflammation. They investigated whether phenols in blueberries could reduce the damaging effects of induced inflammation.