Fresh blueberries have always been delicious. And for years
we’ve known that they’re
good sources of vitamin C and fiber. Now we’re learning that
they’re even better than
that.

Scientists at Tufts University in Boston have found that
blueberries are one of the
world’s most healthful foods.

Jim Joseph, Ron Prior, Barbara Shukitt-Hale and others
conducted revealing research at
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research
Center on Aging at Tufts.

We’ve known for some time that damage by oxygen “free
radicals” causes many
of the maladies that come with aging. “Antioxidants”
are natural compounds that
deactivate free radicals.

A Powerhouse of
Antioxidants

And guess what? The humble blueberry is a powerhouse of
antioxidants.

The story started many years ago when the Tufts scientists
were screening fresh foods
for their antioxidant activity. As they screened fruits and
vegetables, they found
blueberries to be extremely high in antioxidants.

The researchers then ran a study to find out if all blueberry
species and varieties
contain antioxidants. They found that all of the blueberries
they
tested contained high to
very high levels of antioxidants.

Georgia Blueberry
Bonanza

One of the varieties highest in antioxidants is the
world-famous ‘Tifblue,’ developed
by Tom Brightwell at Tifton, Ga., in 1955. Tifblue is planted on
40 percent of Georgia’s
4,500 blueberry acres.

Georgia farmers are in the midst of their June-through-July
harvest of these healthful
berries.

The Tufts scientists have used Tifblue in a number of
rat-feeding studies in the past
few years. The blueberries were grown on farms in Clinch, Bacon
and Appling counties and
shipped frozen to Boston.

The scientists found that putting lab rats on blueberry-rich
diets slowed age-related
losses in their mental capacity, a finding with implications for
humans.

Older rats fed the equivalent of half a cup of blueberries a
day were not only more
coordinated, but were smarter and had better memories than other
rats in the same age
range.

Georgia Blueberries in
Japan

Many Georgia blueberries are now shipped to Japan. One of the
main reasons is that the
Japanese are interested in blueberry health benefits.

Of special interest to the Japanese is eye fatigue from lots
of computer work.
Researchers in Japan and other countries have found that
blueberries reduce eye fatigue.
The effect is probably due to compounds in the blueberries that
strengthen the capillaries
that feed eye muscles and nerves.

And there’s more. Cranberries and blueberries are closely
related. Both contain a
compound that helps prevent urinary-tract infections by
preventing bacteria from attaching
to the urinary-tract lining.

The next time you go to the grocery store and see a container
of fresh Georgia
blueberries, buy them and eat them. Or at least take some home
for your pet rat.