What Are the Benefits of Wild Alaskan Blueberries?
Grizzly bears, deer, elk, ptarmigans and people love wild Alaskan blueberries. Also called Alaska blue huckleberries, these blueish-black fruits contain much more than just bursts of flavor. Packed with antioxidants, they provide potential health benefits, including slowing brain aging. Does this Spark an idea?
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Geography
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The Alaska blueberry, Vaccinium alaskensis Howell, grows from Southeast Alaska to northern Oregon.
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Identification
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Goat, elk and deer browse this shrub, which grows up to 6 feet tall. Its fruit, bluish black to purple, varies in shape.
Research
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In 2006, University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers tested the Alaska huckleberry for its antioxidant capacity, using the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) test. Cultivated blueberries in the Lower 48 scored 24, but Alaska wild blueberries scored 111. "That makes Alaska wild blueberries more than five times more powerful as antioxidants than those pretty blue orbs shrunk-wrapped in grocery produce aisle," wrote Doug O'Harra in "Far North Science."
Significance
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Recent medical research has shown the beneficial effects of antioxidants, a biochemical found in many fruits and vegetables, including wild Alaskan blueberries. Antioxidants, particularly rich in purple- and red-colored fruits, appear to help combat heart disease, macular degeneration, some cancers, diabetes, aging and much more via an anti-inflammation mechanism.
Expert Opinion
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"A recent nutritional study by Dr. James Joseph at Tufts University concluded that blueberries also cause 30 percent neurogenesis (new brain cells) at any age and may help in reversing aging."--Lesa Hollen, University of Alaska.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit "From the bush to your mouth in under 5 seconds!" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: lepiaf.geo (Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
