in Benefits, Food & Drink
What Are The Benefits Of Eating Blueberries? – A Fruit That Gives You A Delicious & Healthy Treat
Foods that taste incredibly good and also benefit your health are rare to find! Blueberries belong to this category and they are considered super healthy foods for a strong reason! What are the benefits of eating blueberries and what changes can these sweet summer treats bring to your health?
Blueberries can beautify your skin, prevent chronic disorders, help in weight loss and can also prevent cancer. But, before getting into the exact details you must know the magical properties of blueberries which makes them so powerful!
Table of Contents
- Blueberries Nutrition Facts
- How Many Calories In Blueberries? Are Blueberries Good For You?
- Other Nutritional Properties Of Blueberries Apart From Vitamins And Minerals
- What Are The Benefits Of Eating Blueberries
Blueberries Nutrition Facts
One cup of raw blueberries which weigh around 148 grams is enriched with the following nutritional properties.
How Many Calories In Blueberries? Are Blueberries Good For You?
One cup of raw blueberries contains only 84.4 calories which meet up to 4% of your daily calorie requirement. Moreover, some amazing nutrient-rich properties combined with great antioxidant properties make blueberries the healthiest fruits.
Apart from obtaining some amazing health benefits of blueberries, you can also experience a healthy weight loss and witness a reduction in the number of fat cells (triglycerides).
You may have to consume blueberries with low-fat foods for the reduction in your fat cells. (1)
Other Nutritional Properties Of Blueberries Apart From Vitamins And Minerals
Blueberries contain great antioxidant properties, anthocyanin being the major antioxidant that imparts a beautiful colour of blue-purple mix to the fruit.
Anthocyanin improves your heart health, prevents the chances of obesity, prevents the chance of breast cancer and strengthens your overall immune system.
Other antioxidant properties of the fruit include the substances that belong to the polyphenol group.
- Quercetin – A compound which is anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and also anti-viral(2)
- Kaempferol – The substance which can reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer(3)
- Myricetin – A polyphenolic compound that can help in the treatment of Type-2 diabetes(4)
- Chlorogenic acid – Substance belonging to ester group which can reduce oxidative stress, the condition in which there is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and antioxidants. The substance is also anti-inflammatory in nature. (5)
Blueberries also contain a special plant pigment called beta-carotene which gets converted to vitamin A when it gets absorbed by your body.
What Are The Benefits Of Eating Blueberries? 11 Amazing Positive Health Impacts
What purpose do the antioxidants in blueberries serve and what are blueberries good for? Here are 11 unbelievable health benefits of blueberries that will persuade you to consume them regularly!
1. How Do Blueberries Help People With High Blood Pressure?
People with a high blood pressure, particularly those suffering from obesity are at a higher risk of health problems. Blueberries can also reduce your weight and also lower your blood pressure levels.
However, you have to make sure that you indulge in a complete weight loss lifestyle to get rid of obesity but making a simple habit of consuming blueberries can protect you from getting prone to cardiovascular diseases though you are obese.
Consuming as little as 50 grams of blueberries per day can help in reducing your blood pressure levels. (6)
2. Can Blueberries Help Those Suffering From Diabetes?
It is a major misconception to think that blueberries taste sweet which is why they should be avoided by diabetics. In fact, blueberries can do wonders to people suffering from abnormal blood glucose levels.
A clinical study conducted on fasting glucose and the antioxidant properties of blueberries proved that there was a significant reduction in the levels of fasting glucose. (7)
This was because of the special antioxidant compound called Myricetin which played a major role in reducing the glucose levels.
Another study proved that blueberries improved insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity can be defined as how effective your body is in utilizing the insulin hormone for reducing the blood glucose levels. (8)
3. Benefits Of Eating Blueberries For Cancer Prevention
DNA replication is essential for inheriting the characters from parents to offspring. But mutations which are caused due to the damage of DNA can lead to cancer. (9)
Cancer is unpredictable. You never know when and how you might get affected with this chronic disorder and you wouldn’t realize unless you start experiencing the symptoms.
You can reap the maximum benefits from eating blueberries and one best benefit is that it helps in preventing the DNA damage, thereby reducing the chance of cancer. (10)
It would be much beneficial if you drink blueberry juice mixed with apple juice frequently to reduce the damage of DNA.
4. Boost Your Brain Power With Blueberries
Being forgetful is not a real big problem but it can sometimes make you miss that big opportunity of cracking that big test or it can be annoying because you are unable to remember simple things that everyone around you is able to remember.
Good news is that benefits of eating blueberries are not only related to improving your memory but also in reducing your overall cognitive declination. (11)
Cognitive functioning relates to the overall processing capacity of your brain like thinking and reasoning.
Blueberries can also prevent the chances of various Neuro-degenerative disorders that are caused due to the onset of age. This is because of the antioxidant properties of blueberries which can control the motor functioning of the brain. (12)
5. Blueberries Prevent Obesity
Not many know that obesity is the leading cause of numerous chronic disorders like diabetes and various types of cancers which is why you must keep a check on your weight.
Blueberries contain a special pigment called anthocyanin which is a kind of flavonoid containing antioxidant properties that works wonders if both blueberry and Mulberry juice are consumed together. (13)
Moreover, blueberries are particularly known as low-calorie fruits and are said to reduce the number of triglycerides which may otherwise get deposited in your fat cells, leading to chronic disorders like diabetes and obesity.
Berries contain nearly 80% water which makes them great foods for weight loss because they reduce your cravings and keep your appetite in control.
6. Are Blueberries Good For Your Heart?
Coronary heart disease is, unfortunately, the most common cause of deaths all over the world. Women who have reached post-menopausal stage are said to be at a higher risk of coronary heart disease.
Women who are at their middle age are also said to be at a risk of a coronary heart disease if they frequently use oral contraceptives or smoke regularly.
Experiments conducted on anthocyanin intake (a plant pigment which is present in blueberries) and a cardiovascular condition called Myocardial infraction proved that a high intake of the plant pigment anthocyanin resulted in the decreased risk of Myocardial infarction. (14)
Blueberries can also lower the blood pressure levels and minimize the levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), both of which can take a negative toll on your cardiovascular health.
7. Blueberries Can Deal With Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections are common among women and they most probably occur because of the adherence of bacteria to the walls of the urinary tract.
Though there are several factors that can prevent the adherence of the bacteria to urinary tract like suitable pH, good amounts of salt in the urine that can prevent the bacteria from attaching to the walls of urinary tract, certain pathogenic bacteria can still grow inside the urinary tract which eventually leads to a serious urinary tract infection.(15)
Researches have proved it that a regular intake of cranberry juice or blueberry juice can prevent urinary tract infections because these contain certain substances which act like anti-adhesives so as to prevent the adherence of pathogens to the walls of the urinary tract. (16)
8. Blueberries Can Strengthen Your Bones And Reduce Muscular Damage
Certain hardcore exercises can cause a severe strain to your muscles and this is ultimately going to cause a severe oxidative stress and inflammation.
Oxidative stress is the inability to produce antioxidants that can fight the free radicals and inflammation is the redness and swelling caused due to injury at the site of damage.
Studies have proved that the ability of blueberries to reduce oxidative stress and the anti-inflammatory properties of the fruit can help in a quick recovery from muscle damage(17)
Blueberries also help in improving your bone strength since they contain good amounts of vitamin K. (1 cup contains 28.6 mcg of vitamin K) which meets up to 36% of your daily calcium requirement.
Vitamin K may not directly help in improving your bone strength but it can improve your body’s ability to absorb more amounts of calcium which can improve your bone strength.
Blueberries also contain good amounts of magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and calcium which can altogether help in a healthy formation of bones(18)
9. Blueberries Can Help You Get Rid Of Constipation
Constipation is the most common digestive disorder that has been troubling a huge population. Getting rid of irregular bowel movements is easy if you take the necessary steps to improvise your gut health so that you experience an easy bowel movement.
Blueberries contain good amounts of fibres which can improve your digestive health because they add bulk to your stools and help in the easy passage of food along your digestive tract.
However, eating fiber-rich fruits alone does not help in preventing constipation. You may have to include other foods like probiotics, fluids and exercise regularly to get rid of constipation. (19)
10. Blueberries Can Improve Your Skin Texture
Consuming one cup of blueberries can give you 14.4 mg of vitamin C which has a great positive impact on your skin health.
This is because vitamin C is responsible for boosting collagen which is the main compound that is responsible for increasing elasticity and making you look young and beautiful.
Vitamin C is also responsible for protecting your skin from the damage of Ultraviolet rays since it contains great antioxidant properties. (20)
11. Blueberries Reduce Inflammation
Certain factors may repeatedly cause destruction to your immune system which makes you susceptible to various chronic disorders such as cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes.
You can hugely benefit from eating blueberries because these contain polyphenols among which anthocyanin is a major plant pigment that contains anti-inflammatory properties. (21)
This property of blueberries can reduce the chances of a large number of chronic disorders including heart problems and even cancers.
Bottom Line
Blueberries contain the highest number of antioxidants when compared to other food sources. There are countless benefits of eating blueberries and all the credit can be attributed to amazing nutrient properties of blueberries, its antioxidant power which is caused due to the polyphenols and various other plant pigments, the major pigment being anthocyanin.
It can help people suffering from Type-2 diabetes, elevated blood pressure and Urinary tract infections. It can also prevent various types of cancers, obesity and cardiovascular problems.
You can obtain a smooth skin texture, boost your brain power and acquire strong bones through a regular consumption of blueberries.
Now you exactly know why blueberries are considered super healthy foods! Why wait? Keep a bunch in stock and make a regular habit of consumption for enhancing your overall health and preventing chronic disorders!
Comments
Leave a Comment