Wild blueberries are being hailed as a natural powerhouse of antioxidants -- ahead of 40 other fruits and vegetables according to scientific reports.
Health Magazine's recent Guide to 50 Super Foods lists blueberries as tops in antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are natural substances found in fruits and vegetables and are believed to neutralize free radicals -- unstable oxygen molecules linked with the effects of aging and the development of heart disease and cancer.
A spokesman for the Wild Blueberry Association of North America says recent studies at Tufts University's Human Nutrition Center on Aging attribute the antioxidant benefits of blueberries to anthocyanins and other natural compounds (phytochemicals) found in blueberries.
"One-half cup of wild blueberries delivers as much antioxidant power as five servings of other fruits and vegetables -- such as peas, carrots, apples, squash and broccoli," the Tufts report says.
