Over the past few years, more and more attention has been devoted to learning about the health-promoting properties of berries.
Berries are rich in antioxidants. And these antioxidants have a known ability to help boost certain aspects of health. The way antioxidants do this is by protecting cells from free-radical damage. When cells are exposed to free radicals they can succumb to DNA damage.
DNA damage when promulgated throughout the body can produce all kinds of health problems. These include developing cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart conditions and more.
Thus, consuming antioxidant-rich foods like berries is one way you can help to keep your body in tip-top shape for years to come.
Raspberries are seen as one of the most plant-based sources of antioxidants on the planet.
And it’s for this reasons it’s though if you include a substantial amount of raspberries in your diet you can keep some disease at bay
3 Diseases Raspberries Can Help Fight
1 – Obesity:
Obesity is a very common health problem faced by Americans. Mainly because they eat too much sugar and can’t ever seem to stop.
Raspberries can help fight diabetes in 2 ways. The first is it can replace sugary foods in the diet. This is because raspberries taste sweet but are low in sugar. Meaning you can use raspberries as a sugar substitute and lose weight in the process.
Another way raspberries can help reduce weight is through the introduction of raspberry ketones into the body. Raspberries ketones (a fat based molecule that provides energy) help to break down fat en masse. Supplementing with raspberry ketones has been shown in animal studies to help reduce total body fat.
Then there’s also the fact that raspberries are high in fiber. Fiber is a dense nutrient that when eaten in adequate amounts will help you feel full. With a whopping 9 grams of fiber per cup a person could eat enough raspberries to feel full for some time. This would prevent them from eating more later on, helping them shed weight in the process.
2 – Heart Disease:
As mentioned prior, heart disease is often time caused by oxidative stress from too many free radicals in the body.
The increased antioxidant activity of raspberries could help protect the heart:
Animal and cellular studies have shown that after red raspberry exposure or feeding, ellagic acid, the primary breakdown product of ellagitannins, can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
While these studies show the potential to help decrease atherosclerosis development, increase vasodilation and lower blood pressure, the next step is to verify and validate this effect in humans.
3 – Alzheimer’s Disease:
While there isn’t a wide breadth of literature on the effects of raspberries on brain health, there is some research supporting the notion that raspberries can keep your brain healthy.
The high antioxidant activity of raspberries has been linked to management of a negative inflammatory response… helps protect the brain from free radical oxidation, and improves blood sugar (a known factor in increased risk for Alzheimer’s).
Britt M. Burton-Freeman, Ph.D., MS of the Center for Nutrition Research, Institute for Food Safety and Health has said what is good for the heart is good for the brain and he suggests there’s enough research on raspberries heart-protecting ability to suggest it could lead to enhanced brain health.
