Lingonberry Benefits - Inner Source Health

Transcription

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Pina LoGiudice ND, LAc
Peter Bongiorno ND, LAc
Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine / Licensed Acupuncturists
www.InnerSourceHealth.com
[email protected] / 631.421.1848
Lingonberry Benefits
by Pina LoGiudice ND, LAc and Peter Bongiorno ND, LAc
- medical directors of www.InnerSourceHealth.com
We are starting to learn
the power of the berry.
Blueberries have been
shown to be helpful with
protecting blood vessels in
diabetics. Cranberries have
been used for years to
effectively treat urinary tract infections. And raspberries
have eye protective antioxidants called lutein. Eating
berries in general may also help ward off certain types
of cancers.
Berries are an amazing group of fruits. Because of
the constant beating down of the sun’s radiation, the
berry evolved an amazing assortment of plant
chemicals called polyphenols, which are powerful
antioxidants, to help neutralize the sun’s radiation to
avoid damage to the tender flesh underneath. A type
of polyphenol called flavonoids give the berry their
dark color and confer health benefits to us when eat
them.
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Here’s……. the Lingonberry…..
One of new berry kids on the block being seriously
looked at by medical research is the lingonberry.
Lingonberry appears to have higher concentrations of
plant polyphenols, and may confer even greater
health benefits than its other berry cousins. Well- known
in Scandinavia, the lingonberry’s latin name is
Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and is also known as the
cowberry. As a member of the vaccinium species, it is
related to cranberry, bilberry and blueberries.
Animal studies have shown how the lingonberry
can lower inflammatory molecules, block oxidants from
destroying tissue, and also help the body replace
important antioxidants, like glutathione, which is a
master antioxidant in our body. Lingonberry has also
been shown to increase red blood cell and liver
enzymes needed for antioxidant protection. We need
antioxidants to protect vessels and nerve tissue, and
also to help decrease the damage from inflammation.
Proanthocyanidin extracts of lingonberries were also
found to be effective against the bacteria
Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause a wide
variety of infections.
A 2011 Finnish study gave rats with high blood
pressure lingonberry juice to drink for eight weeks. While
the juice did not lower blood pressure, there was a
striking benefit of protection for the inner linings of the
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animal’s blood vessels (called endothelial linings). The
lingonberry helped the effect of a molecule called
nitric oxide which is needed to help the vessels relax.
Most interestingly, this effect seemed to be stronger
with the lingonberry over its cranberry and blackcurrant
cousins. They found the lingonberry to almost twice the
phenols than the cranberry.
Lingonberry Human Study
Native Americans in North America have a history of
using this berry to help their people suffering with
diabetes and cardiovascular illness. Modern research is
starting to catch up with what the Native Americans
already knew. A 2010 Canadian study with First Nation
Cree subjects found that lingonberry was able to
reduce the effect of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). AGE’s are by product of sugars and
heated protein molecule in the body’s that
accumulate in patients with high blood sugar. These
AGE’s contribute to the damage in a diabetic’s vessels.
This damage is a major contributor to kidney disease,
eye disease, and circulation problems that can lead to
skin sores and amputation.
Naturopathic treatments for diabetes include exercise,
eating foods low glycemic (low sugar content) foods
that are cooked at low temperatures and are minimally
processed, blood sugar balancing herbs like gymnema
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and cinnamon. Now, we can add the lingonberry to
this list.
Drink To Your Health
Although not well known in the United States,
lingonberries are available as a juice in some health
food stores. They can also be found as a jam at
Swedish specialty stores, and the berries can be bought
frozen or in powders online. For my patients with
diabetes, blood pressure challenges, and inflammatory
concerns, I often recommend taking a tablespoon or
two of the frozen berries and adding these to 1 cup of
non-sweetened almond milk with ¾ cup of ice to blend
for a healthy flavonoid smoothie treat.
references:
5
Mane C, Loonis M, Juhel C, Dufour C, Malien-Aubert C. Food grade
lingonberry extract: polyphenolic composition and in vivo
protective effect against oxidative stress. J Agric Food Chem. 2011
Apr 13;59(7):3330-9. Epub 2011 Mar 4.
Beaulieu LP, Harris CS, Saleem A, Cuerrier A, Haddad PS, Martineau
LC, Bennett SA, Arnason JT. Inhibitory effect of the Cree traditional
medicine wiishichimanaanh (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) on advanced
glycation endproduct formation: identification of active principles.
Phytother Res. 2010 May;24(5):741-7.
Kylli P, Nohynek L, Puupponen-Pimiä R, Westerlund-Wikström B,
Leppänen T, Welling J, Moilanen E, Heinonen M. Lingonberry
(Vaccinium vitis-idaea) and European cranberry (Vaccinium
microcarpon) proanthocyanidins: isolation, identification, and
bioactivities. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Apr 13;59(7):3373-84. Epub
2011 Mar 3.
Zheng W, Wang SY. Oxygen radical absorbing capacity of
phenolics in blueberries, cranberries, chokeberries, andlingonberries.
J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Jan 15;51(2):502-9.

Lingonberry Benefits - Inner Source Health

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