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Plant Source Foods
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Blueberries, blue colored fruits, belong to the genus Vaccinium, family Ericaceae, are sweet, tasty, and nutritious fruits. Blueberries are high in dietary fibers (3–3.5% of their fruit weight) and vitamins, such as vitamin C, B complex, E, and β-carotene (provitamin A). Blueberries also provide high amounts of selenium, zinc, iron, and manganese, and contain lutein and zeaxanthin (79–80, 83). In addition, the levels of antioxidants like flavonoids, especially anthocyanidins, flavonols, phenolic acids, in blueberries are much higher than those in other berries mentioned previously (79, 83). Blueberries have become more popular due to their well-known health benefits, nutritional value, and excellent sensory evaluation. Blueberries might prevent cataract and macular degeneration and diabetes. They could also be used for decreasing blood pressure and blood cholesterol, therefore lowering CVDs and atherosclerosis risks (72). In addition, blueberries might ameliorate cognitive function and mental health and could prevent Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases (79, 83). Generally, blueberries are sold in fresh, frozen, and processed forms (dried and canned fruits, juices, and jams, in beverages, yogurts) for various food applications (79).
Effects of Food Processing, Storage, and Cooking on Nutrients in Plant-Based Foods
Published in Nicole M. Farmer, Andres Victor Ardisson Korat, Cooking for Health and Disease Prevention, 2022
Vitamin C: Fruits and vegetables have their highest vitamin C content immediately after harvest, and after this point, its levels begin to degrade. For instance, losses in the range of 27%–100% are common in vegetables stored for up to 7 days at 20°C; these losses are mitigated in refrigerated storage (4°C) but are still substantial (0%–75%) (Rickman, Barrett, et al., 2007). Other studies suggest that vitamin C levels are better preserved in whole fruits such as blueberries or strawberries, while substantial losses are observed in vegetables such as green beans and corn (Bouzari et al., 2015b). Cooking fresh vegetables rich in vitamin C such as broccoli, green beans, and fresh spinach using boiling, steaming, or pressure-cooking resulted in losses >46%; conversely, folate levels were not impacted by these cooking methods (Rumm-Kreuter & Demmel, 1990).
Fish and Shellfish
Published in Christopher Cumo, Ancestral Diets and Nutrition, 2020
Alaska, Canada, and Greenland’s indigenes adapted to their geography and climate by hunting and fishing. Plants, whose collection was possible during warm weather, were scant in diets. For example, between October 1953 and April 1954, a group of Cree in Canada’s province of Newfoundland and Labrador collected five pails of blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) in contrast to nearly 5,500 kilograms (12,100 pounds) of fish and game.65 The mass of these blueberries is unstated but cannot have been large. In nontechnical settings, the terms “pail” and “bucket” are interchangeable. Neither is precise, though Amazon.com sells buckets that hold 15 liters (4 gallons).66 One cup of blueberries being about 150 grams (5.3 ounces) and 1 liter holding around 4 cups yield roughly 9 kilograms (19.8 pounds) of blueberries per bucket, bringing the total to 45 kilograms (99.2 pounds) or under 1 percent of food collected.
Blueberry treatment administered before and/or after lipopolysaccharide stimulation attenuates inflammation and oxidative stress in rat microglial cells
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2023
Danielle S. Cahoon, Derek R. Fisher, Stefania Lamon-Fava, Dayong Wu, Tong Zheng, Barbara Shukitt-Hale
Nutritional strategies using whole foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties show potential to be safe, inexpensive, and easily accessible therapies to attenuate microglial activation and the resulting neurodegenerative processes. As one of such cases, blueberries (BB) contain some of the highest levels of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory polyphenols relative to other plant species, such as the flavonoid anthocyanin [7]. Anthocyanins from dietary BB consumption can readily reach the CNS by crossing the blood–brain-barrier [8], and could therefore directly interact with activated microglia in the brain. The neuroprotective effects of BB have been previously demonstrated when introduced before a stressor. In animal studies, BBs can protect against neuroinflammation, OS, and/or cognitive deficits when administered before ionizing radiation [9], experimentally-induced stroke [10], and the neurotoxin kainic acid [11]. In vitro, BB pretreatment can protect against inflammation and OS when administered to microglia and removed before stressors such as LPS [12–14], B-amyloid [14], glutamate, and a-synuclein [7]. In these studies, outcomes were assessed immediately after stressor removal, precluding any conclusions on whether BB pretreatments can attenuate self-propelling microglial activation and the potential therapeutic efficacy of post-stressor treatments.
Blueberry extract as a potential pharmacological tool for preventing depressive-like behavior and neurochemical dysfunctions in mice exposed to lipopolysaccharide
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2022
Luiza Spohr, Karina Pereira Luduvico, Mayara Sandrielly Pereira Soares, Natália Pontes Bona, Pathise Souto Oliveira, Julia Eisenhardt de Mello, Fernando Lopez Alvez, Fernanda Cardoso Teixeira, Anelize de Oliveira Campello Felix, Francieli Moro Stefanello, Roselia Maria Spanevello
Vaccinium virgatum fruits were harvested at Embrapa Clima Temperado (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), Pelotas, RS, Brazil (31°40′47″S and 52°26′24″W). Fruits were stored at −20°C until extraction. Briefly, 30 g unprocessed blueberries were sonicated for 30 min at 25°C in 90 mL 70:30 v/v ethanol–water (pH 1.0). Extracts were filtered; ethanol was removed under reduced pressure, and lyophilized. These procedures were performed in triplicate and sheltered from light [13]. Our research group previously characterized the blueberry extract used in this study and the analysis identified fifteen monoglycosylated anthocyanins: Delphinidin-O-galactoside, Delphinidin-O-glucoside, Cyanidin-O-galactoside, Delphinidin-O-pentoside, Cyanidin-O-glucoside, Petunidin-O-galactoside, Petunidin-O-glucoside, Cyanidin-O-pentoside, Peonidin-O-galactoside, Petunidin-O-pentoside, Peonidin-O-glucoside, Malvidin-O-galactoside, Malvidin-O-glucoside, Peonidin-O-pentoside, Malvidin-O-pentoside [11].
Blueberry supplementation attenuates microglia activation and increases neuroplasticity in mice consuming a high-fat diet
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2019
Amanda N. Carey, Kelsea R. Gildawie, Abigail Rovnak, Nopporn Thangthaeng, Derek R. Fisher, Barbara Shukitt-Hale
Diets supplemented with anthocyanin-rich berries, such as blueberries, have been shown to have a noteworthy influence on the aging brain. Blueberry may reduce over-expression and over-production of inflammatory factors and allay oxidative damage induced by aging and disease states.20–23 Blueberry and its specific phytochemicals have been demonstrated to reduce production of inflammatory cytokines and regulators of stress signaling in microglia stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).24–25 Research has also shown that diets supplemented with anthocyanin-rich berries can allay behavioral deficits associated with aging.26–29 Moreover, blueberry has been shown to increase BDNF expression and neurogenesis.7,30–21 Recent research indicates that diets supplemented with blueberries can mitigate some of the harmful effects that are typically seen in conjunction with HFD consumption.33 Mice fed a HFD for 2 months had impaired recognition memory and this impairment persisted for the 5 months the mice were maintained on this diet; however, supplementation of HFD with 4% blueberry prevented recognition memory deficits in a time-dependent manner.33 Furthermore, probe trial performance in the Morris water maze navigation test of spatial learning and memory was impaired in animals consuming a HFD, while animals fed HFD with blueberry supplementation were not different from mice consuming a low-fat diet (LFD).