For years, the health-conscious have sworn by the benefits of blueberries – a trendy import from the Americas.
But it seems there is something far better for us, much closer to home – the blackcurrant.
Researchers have found that the sharp berry, bushes of which used to be a regular feature in British gardens and allotments, contain far higher levels of health-boosting compounds than the blueberry.
Researchers found blackcurrants can contain six to eight times the concentration of antioxidants of cultivated blueberries
We now eat tons and tons of blueberries, having been convinced they are a ‘super food’ that are particularly rich in polyphenols.
These are naturally occurring ‘antioxidant’ compounds said to help combat the development of heart disease and even cancer.
By contrast, fresh blackcurrants are a rarity on supermarket shelves.
But researcher Dr Gordon McDougall,of the James Hutton Institute near Dundee, found blackcurrants can contain six to eight times the concentration of antioxidants of cultivated blueberries.
We now eat tons and tons of blueberries, having been convinced they are a ‘superfood’ that are particularly rich in polyphenols
And exercise physiologist Matthew Cook of Chichester University has discovered that blackcurrants can even boost athletic performance.
They told new Channel 4 series Superfoods: The Real Story that blackcurrants’ health benefits had been overlooked. Presenter Kate Quilton said: ‘We have all gone blueberry bonkers.’
PhD student Cook found amateur cyclists managed to knock around 30 seconds off their ten-mile ride times after taking a blackcurrant supplement called CurraNZ, daily for a week.
He said blackcurrrants contained more of a potent antioxidant called anthocyanin than ‘pretty much any fruit or veg we eat’.
Anthocyanin is believed to help dilate blood vessels – helping more blood get to and from muscles – and also aid the recovery process after intense exercise.
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