The 4 top natural health benefits of blueberries

Blue berries are the fruit of the plant ‘Vaccinium oxycoccus’ a hardy shrub native to North America. The blueberry was a staple food for the first European settlers to arrive in the ‘new world’ not only making use of the tasty fruits, but also the roots and leaves used to make healthy teas and tonics.  It was also common to smoke blue berries, helping to preserve them for the colder winter months where they would be mixed with meats and included in warming stews.

Preserve vision

You may have heard about British pilots in word war two eating blue berries before going out on a night mission as a way to improve vision and reaction times. Well, in the years that followed scientists looked into these claims and came back with some astounding results. Not only do blueberries improve your vision, but due to a compound known as anthocyanin can help to keep our eyes healthy in a multitude of different ways.

• Improved ability to see in low light levels
• Improved reaction times in darkness
• Improves the eyes ability to react following exposure to glare
  
  

Boost brain health

Over the last decade a number of scientific studies have been carried out demonstrating the positive effects blueberries can have on the brains of rodents. Blueberries have been shown to delay and in some cases even reverse the onset of age related memory loss in rats and mice. One study involving human volunteers showed that the patents that drank  blueberry juice scored higher results during a memory test than those who were given the placebo.

Improve heart health

With cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death for both men and women throughout most of the western world, there has never been a better time to start looking after the health of your heart. Blueberries are packed full of flavonoids, powerful antioxidant compounds that help to counter plaque build up and improve heart health. People who eat three or more servings of blueberries a week could reduce their chances of developing certain cardiovascular conditions by up to 35%

Urinary tract infections 

You may have in the passed used cranberry juice if suffering from a UTI this is due to their ability to stop bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls, recent studies have shown blueberries work in the same way and may even be more effective than cranberries at getting to the route of the problem.

With all these great natural benefits and flavours on offer there really is no excuse, go pick up some blueberries today and see for yourself.