A U.S.
Department of Agriculture
study has found that blueberries may help fight heart disease
and aging.
“This study found that blueberries are an excellent source of
antioxidants,”
said Gerard Krewer, an
Service horticulturist with
the University of
Georgia
Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.
“These natural substances are found in many fruits and
vegetables,” he said.
“They neutralize the free radicals that contribute to heart
disease and aging.”
The USDA study was conducted last summer at the USDA Human Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. It found that
blueberries, including
Georgia’s rabbiteye type, are high in antioxidants.
Blueberries, in fact, were the highest in antioxidant
activity of the more than 40
fruits and vegetables tested.
“Besides the high levels of antioxidants, blueberries are
very high in vitamin C
and fiber, too,” Krewer said. “And they have only 80 calories
per cup.”
Krewer said the high vitamin C and fiber content were already
known. “But until
this study, we didn’t know they were so high in antioxidants,”
he said. “They
have turned out to be an excellent health food.”
Georgia has about 4,000 acres of blueberries. The state’s
farmers grow 6 million to 13
million pounds each year. That ranks them fourth in the nation
behind Michigan, New Jersey
and Oregon. Many Georgians grow them, too, in backyard
gardens.
