Chokeberries: The New Power Food?
Reported April 27, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Want to boost your health? Choke down a serving of chokeberries!
The bright red and deep purple berries have been used by Native Americans for centuries. But now, the chokeberry can be found in the form of dietary supplements in local pharmacies and health food stores.
Scientists think chokeberries have so many health benefits because of their unusually high number of chemical compounds called anthocyanins. The anthocyanins function as antioxidants, and when we eat them they protect our bodies from a variety of damaging situations, including exposure to pollution.
Anthocyanins also have a potent anti-inflammatory effect, improve blood sugar and the function of insulin.
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture studied the effects of chokeberry extracts on pre-diabetic rats. They found rats that were given the chokeberry extract weighed less, had a lower percentage of body fat, lower blood glucose and reduced levels of plasma triglycerides, cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. This could make chokeberries an important component in the treatment of diabetes.
Authors of the study believe this “provides evidence that the chokeberry extract inhibits weight gain in insulin-resistant animals and that it modulates multiple genes associated with adipose tissue growth, blood glucose regulation, and inflammatory pathways.”
Source: Experimental Biology meeting, April 25, 2010, Anaheim, Calif.