Many studies have confirmed that berries are the best and most cost-effective way to consume disease-fighting antioxidants .
Antioxidants have been found to be 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 ailments 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.
Other top-ranking fruits are 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…
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