(27-04-13) Berries, pomegranates shown to have highest anti-cancer activity of any fruits

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Numerous studies have confirmed that berries are the best foods
to maximize your intake of disease-fighting antioxidants, and have also
identified the other fruits and vegetables with the highest antioxidant
content.

Antioxidants are increasingly implicated as the chemicals behind many of the
health-promoting benefits of fruits and vegetables. They act in part by
cleansing the body of free radicals, which can cause cell and DNA damage that
leads to the effects of aging and to many chronic diseases such as cancer,
diabetes and heart disease.

Just one cup per day
One major study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
in 2004, analyzed the antioxidant levels of more than a hundred separate foods
including fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, nuts and spices.

The researchers found that berries were by far the most cost-effective way of
consuming antioxidants. Among all the fruits analyzed, cranberries, blueberries
and blackberries topped the list for antioxidant content. Just a single cup a
day of berries was found to provide the recommended daily intake of
antioxidants for disease-fighting purposes.

The top ranking fruits, after berries, were peaches, mangoes and melons.

A similar study was published in the same journal in 2008 by researchers from
Cornell University. In contrast with the 2004 study, melons were actually found
to have the lowest antioxidant activity among fruits, along with bananas.
Berries (including blackberries, raspberries and blueberries) still scored at
the top, with wild blueberries found to be the most potent. Pomegranates ranked
equal to berries in antioxidant content.

Taking into account which fruits and vegetables are most commonly eaten,
apples and strawberries were found to contribute the most antioxidants to the U.
S. diet.

"Increasing fruit consumption is a logical strategy to increase antioxidant
intake and decrease oxidative stress and may lead to reduced risk of cancer,"
the researchers concluded.

A comprehensive review
In 2010, the most comprehensive review of foods' antioxidant content to date
was published in Nutrition Journal. The analysis of more than 3,100 foods,
beverages, herbs, spices and dietary supplements was conducted by researchers
from the Harvard School of Public Health, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University, University Of Minnesota, Norwegian Institute for Agricultural
and Environmental Research, University of Oslo, Akershus University College in
Norway, and Akita University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan.

The researchers found that the antioxidant content varied several thousand-
fold among the different products tested. The products with the highest
antioxidant concentrations were herbs, spices and dietary supplements, although
these products are typically consumed in much smaller quantities than food.
Among food and beverage products, the highest antioxidant concentrations were
found in berries, fruits, nuts, chocolate and vegetables. Overall, the
researchers found that plant-based foods were significantly higher in
antioxidants than animal-based foods.

The highest antioxidant content was found in berries not commonly eaten in the
West, including dried amla (Indian gooseberry), dog rose (Rosa canina),
bilberries (Vaccinum myrtillus), and zereshk (red sour berries). These were
followed by fresh crowberries, black currants, wild strawberries, blackberries,
goji berries, sea buckthorn and cranberries. Among berry products, jams were
found to be lowest in antioxidants.

Although berries commonly eaten in the West might rank low when compared with
other berries, they are still among the most antioxidant rich foods available.

Among other fruits and vegetables, antioxidant content was lowest in celery
and watermelon and highest in pomegranate and the leaves of the African baobab
tree. Other antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables included dried apples, plums
and apricots, artichokes, curly kale, chilis, prunes, and okra flour.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/37770

http://www.naturalnews.com/007593.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841576/

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