A bilberry is a blue fruit that looks, tastes and behaves like a blueberry. It’s a relative to the benefit-rich blueberry and is most commonly used to make jams and pies. But did you know it’s also been used for centuries in medicine and food? Its formal name is Vaccinium myrtillus, and also goes by the name of Huckleberry. Like other bright flavored fruits, it has a remarkable array of health benefits.
This berry is one of the richest natural sources of anthocyanins. These polyphenolic components give bilberry its blue/black color and high antioxidant content, and they are believed to be the key bio-actives responsible for the many reported health benefits of bilberry and other berry fruits. Although bilberry is promoted most commonly for improving vision, it has been reported to lower blood glucose, to have anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering effects, and to promote antioxidant defense and lower oxidative stress. Therefore, bilberry is of potential value in the treatment or prevention of conditions associated with inflammation, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia or increased oxidative stress, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes, and dementia and other age-related diseases. There are also reports that bilberry has antimicrobial activity. Let's go to find out some healthy benefit of this powerful bilberry.
1. IMPROVED VISION
Due to the anthocyanosides, bilberry is widely used to improve night vision or vision handicaps in low light, decreasing vascular permeability and capillary fragility. It was reported that during World War II, British fighter pilots had improved nighttime vision after eating bilberry jam.
Bilberry has been suggested as a treatment for retinopathy, which is damage to the retina. Bilberry has also exhibited protective effects against and macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts.
Many studies have shown positive effects, including improvement in retinal abnormalities, increased capillary resistance, slowing of progression of lens opacity and myopia, and improved dark adaptation. For example, in a study of 50 patients with mild senile cataract, 4 months of supplementation with bilberry anthocyanins plus vitamin E was reported to have a 97% success rate in preventing cataract progression
2. HELPS ELIMINATE CIRCULATION PROBLEMS
The anthocyanins in bilberry help reduce flow pressure in the body’s capillaries and thus helps improve circulation and can help improve the condition of various cardiovascular conditions. The most famous of which is chronic venous insufficiency and atherosclerosis. However, it’s important to remember that the positive studies linking these health benefits of bilberry have either been conducted on animals or cell lines.
In Europe, health care professionals use bilberry extracts to treat circulation problems, also known as chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Research suggests that this condition, which occurs when valves in veins in the legs that carry blood to the heart are damaged, may be improved by taking bilberry extract. Other research suggests that taking bilberry anthocyanins daily for up to six months might improve swelling, pain, bruising and burning associated with CVI.
3. IMPROVE BAD CHOLESTEROL
The amazing anthocyanosides found in bilberries may strengthen blood vessels and prevent the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, a major risk factor for atherosclerosis that is the plaque that blocks blood vessels leading to heart attack and stroke.
A study reported that bilberry enrichment, when compared to black currants, reduced total and LDL-cholesterol levels. In fact, the total anthocyanin content was four times higher in bilberries than in black currants, possibly making it a better choice for reducing LDL cholesterol levels.
4. MAY IMPROVE THE BLOOD SUGAR IN DIABETICS
Traditionally, bilberry leaves have been also used to control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Research shows that most berries help reduce the body’s glucose response after eating a high-sugar meal and studies suggest bilberry may be effective for managing blood sugar levels, particularly when combined with oatmeal, though more research is needed.
The bilberry plant is reputed to possess antidiabetic properties, and its berries and leaves (as well as those of other Vaccinium species) have been used for centuries to ameliorate the symptoms of diabetes
5. HYPOGLYCEMIC EFFECTS
The bilberry plant is reputed to possess antidiabetic properties, and its berries and leaves (as well as those of other Vaccinium species) have been used for centuries to ameliorate the symptoms of diabetes. In a survey of 685 Italian herbalists in 2004, bilberry ranked fourth in a list of herbal remedies recommended for improvement of glycemic control. The reported hypoglycemic effect of bilberry is a desirable effect for helping to prevent or control type 2 diabetes, which is a highly prevalent condition caused by insulin resistance and B cell failure. Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and dyslipidemia, and is accompanied by an increased risk of CVD, cancer, and vision loss through cataract and retinopathy.
The hypoglycemic effect of bilberry may be mediated in part by interference with enzyme action, especially α-glucosidase activity, and also by effects on insulin secretion and glucose transport. Anthocyanins were found to stimulate insulin secretion from cultured rodent pancreatic B cells, with cyanidins and delphinidins (the major anthocyanins in bilberry) showing the greatest effect among different anthocyanins tested in 2005.
Obesity is a strong predisposing factor for type 2 diabetes. Berry polyphenols may help prevent obesity by inhibiting digestive enzymes, such as lipase, thereby lowering fat absorption.
6. HELP PREVENT CANCER
Treatment of cancer is harsh and often unsuccessful. Cancer is a disease caused by mutations in key genes controlling cell division and growth. Damage to DNA increases the likelihood of such mutations, and any bioactive food or component that is found to protect DNA from damaging agents, lower baseline DNA damage, or increase DNA repair is a potential cancer-preventing agent.
In vitro work and animal tumorigenic models have demonstrated that berry anthocyanins have cancer-preventive and -suppressive activity via antioxidant activity; antiproliferative, apoptotic, antiangiogenic, and anti-inflammatory effects; and induce the antioxidant response element (ARE) with consequent phase II enzyme induction and other cytoprotective effects. Other mechanisms of genoprotection may involve direct interaction of anthocyanins with DNA. Natural anthocyanins have been reported to intercalate with DNA, forming a DNA copigmentation complex. A commercial anthocyanin-rich extract from bilberry was shown to inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells. In a DNA study, an anti-inflammatory profile was seen in macrophages treated with a bilberry extract and since inflammation is an important risk factor for cancer, bilberry may be very useful in its prevention.
Bilberry has been used in European medicine to treat diarrhea for many years. The fruit contains tannins, substances that act as both an anti-inflammatory and an astringent that helps with constricting and tightening tissues. By reducing intestinal inflammation, bilberry is believed to help with reducing the symptoms of diarrhea.
8. LOWER THE RISKS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Evidence suggests that fruit and vegetable juices containing various phenolic compounds can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, symptoms of Alzheimer’s was significantly decreased upon treatment with myricetin, quercetin or anthocyanin-rich extracts found in bilberry and showed that behavioral abnormalities may have been alleviated.
POSSIBLE INTERACTIONS AND CAUTIONS
Bilberry fruit and extract are considered generally safe, with no known side effects. But it is important to be aware of possible side effects. Because the anthocyanosides in bilberry may stop blood from clotting, there may be an increased risk of bleeding if you take bilberry with blood-thinning medication, which includes aspirin.
The whole fruit may be safer than concentrated forms. Ask your doctor before taking bilberry, especially if you take blood-thinning medication, are diabetic, pregnant or breastfeeding. Long-term safety and side effects have not been extensively studied and high doses or extended use of bilberry leaf or leaf extract may be unsafe due to possible toxic side effects.
References
[1] Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition, Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, 2011
[2] https://draxe.com
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