Superfruit health benefits

The truth is that some fruits proposed as super really aren t, and no claims about antioxidant health benefits from fruits are actually established by science or allowed by regulatory authorities. I m going to expose some misconceptions about this expanding category of superfoods and give you a list of twenty fruits that are actually super based on nutritional facts and scientific criteria. I ll share with you how these twenty superfruits can be easily added to your diet, not just because they are delicious, but also for their nutrient properties—scientifically proved to have the potential for lowering your risk of contracting major diseases. 

By my definition, superfruits should be all about sustaining regular healthy intake of nutrients from wholefoods, not processed, blended, and diluted juices—a definition that maybe surprising to you. Did you know that most of the juices that stimulated the concept of superfruits are highly processed so that there is little left in them except color and taste They are marketed on myths of ancient uses for unproved health benefits, not on the nutrient value of the natural fruit that this book emphasizes. 

Dietary fiber deserves special discussion because it is a signature nutrient of superfruits and because it has an important range of health benefits not often appreciated by the public. So, let s shine some light on dietary fiber—especially the kinds found in certain superfruits. 

We must be cautious about what conclusions we draw from new research on polyphenols in relation to superfruits. The polyphenol class as a whole is a highly productive research topic in food and medical science. While scientists are continually adding to what we know about the possible impact of these plant compounds on human health, we need to be wary about the use of unconfirmed results for marketing by manufacturers eager to have a competitive edge in selling superfruit products. This practice unfortunately leads to false claims of effectiveness and to their acceptance by consumers as fact when actually the research is too premature to warrant conclusions about health benefits. 

Superfruit phyto chemicals are being researched intensively for their potential health benefits to people. These phytochemicals are being studied for possible preventive qualities against certain diseases. 

Also, in contrast to the case with some other superfruits, there is no leading consumer brand built just on blueberries—curious to me, because this fruit would have been my first pick to develop commercially as a superfruit—and therefore, no one company has stepped forward to finance the expensive series of basic and clinical research steps that might reveal blueberry s specific health benefits. 

Dole (dolesuperfoods.com)—has assembled a group of Superfood products containing many superfruits linked to potential health benefits for individual organs or systems, including heart, eyes,... 

My proposal here is that you adopt the strongest scientific support for a regular diet providing health benefits—the Mediterranean diet—combined with all the advantages of superfruits. Here s how it works ... 

Second, plant compounds called phytochemicals are nonnutrient components of plant foods that may impart health benefits, similar to the pigment antioxidant polyphenols, on the basis of which nearly all superfruit juices are promoted with eye-catching advertisements. Because these phytochemicals await final scientific proof of what they really do in the human body, they are regarded neither as nutrients nor as essential to health. 

Here are a few facts (1) ORAC is an artificial benchmark applying only to conditions in a test tube (2) the ORAC test is fraught with technical inconsistencies as a measurement from lab to lab and often within a lab and (3) there is no concrete, scientific evidence that ingesting more ORAC-enriched foods or superfruit juices means better antioxidant protection in the body or provides any specific health benefit. See Part I for more explanation. 

Remember the way to get the most dietary antioxidants (ACE vitamins) is to eat color-rich fresh fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods regularly rather than only using superfruit juices or extracts that claim to have miraculous health benefits. 

As a fruit scientist, I readily admit that we know far too little about the direct health benefits of fruit consumption, not to mention those fruits categorized as superfruits, but fortunately for us all, Dr. Paul Gross has taken on the daunting challenge to reveal the elusive world of super-... 

You may have encountered the word superfruit in various places in the media, but scientists don t apply the word in any research report. This is a marketing term used by manufacturers to attract attention to their products, but it s been accepted by the fruit processing industry and by consumers, so it has become a convenient way to refer to fruits with special qualities. I want to emphasize wholefood superfruits as important to have regularly in your diet, hopefully to make a positive difference to your current health and lower your risk of diseases. This means we have to pay attention to how research is identifying health criteria and benefits from eating superfruits. 

Just what are some of the potential benefits for maintaining health and lowering the risk of diseases provided by a whole-food diet involving superfruits The complete picture has not been filled in yet, but active scientific research on the twenty superfruits shows progress for minimizing the risk of certain diseases, as shown in the accompanying list. 

Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of death in developed countries, making prevention a priority for public health policy. Research evidence over years has shown that cardiovascular diseases can be managed and even prevented by healthful eating practices involving a resveratrol-enriched diet of whole plant foods such as offered by superfruits. For more than fifty years, research has shown that a healthful, active lifestyle combined with the dietary benefit of high fruit and vegetable intake may lower blood lipid levels, blood pressure, and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. 

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