While nutritionists have long touted the health benefits of eating antioxidant-rich blueberries, new research at Lehman College in Bronx indicates a form of the fruit grown in Central and South America has earned the title “superfruit.”
Researchers at Lehman College in Bronx say two species of wild blueberry contain two to four times more antioxidants than blueberries grown in the United States.
The researchers tested neotropical blueberries grown at the New York Botanical Garden.
“No one had looked at this. The results are very promising,” Paola Pedrezza, a Lehman College botanist, said in a statement.
Pedrezza and Lehman biologist Edward Kennelly examined five species of neotropical blueberries. The two with the highest amounts of antioxidants were Cavendishia Grandifolia and Anthopterus Wardii.
Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables have been linked with lowering the risk of some chronic ailments and could protect against inflammatory chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer.
A full report on the blueberries is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
