8 Health Benefits of Blackberries

Blackberries are a delicious little "aggregate fruit" that grow wild on thorny bushes and are cultivated on every temperate continent, including Africa and Asia. Composed of many individual drupelets, each like a small berry with one seed, each drupelet contributes extra skin, seeds and pectin with dietary fiber value to the nutritional content of blackberries, making them among the highest fiber content plants in the world.Blackberries can be eaten fresh, frozen and canned and are popularly made into jams, juices, desserts and even wine. Rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, blackberries are highly nutritious and rich in antioxidants. They are also low in calories, carbohydrates, and fat, making them one of the best fruits out there for a balanced diet.
Cancer Prevention
Anthocyanins, which give blackberries their dark color, are an antioxidant shown to reduce inflammation. As an antioxidant, they destroy free radicals in the body that harm cells and lead to cancer. Research has also shown that the ellagic acid in blackberries may have anti-cancer properties. One cup of blackberries contains half of the daily recommendation of the antioxidant vitamin C, which protects the immune system and may lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Researchers have found that blackberries may reduce esophageal cancer by relieving the oxidative stress caused by Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition usually brought about by gastroesophageal reflux disease. Perhaps the greatest benefit from eating blackberries is their high level of phenolic acids which, besides having many other potential health benefits, are antioxidant compounds known as powerful anti-carcinogenic agents. Because of these compounds, blackberries have been given an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of about 5350 per 100 grams, placing them near the top of ORAC fruits.
Cardiovascular Benefits
The anthocyanins that give blackberries their dark color are antioxidants shown to reduce inflammation by helping combat free radicals in the body that destroy cells and lead to heart disease. Vitamin C in blackberries acts as an antioxidant, and one cup of this delicious berry contains half of the daily recommendation of vitamin C. The immune system uses vitamin C to fight illness adequate vitamin C intake may lower the risk of developing heart disease. One cup of blackberries contains over thirty percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber, promoting healthy digestion and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Skin Health

As are all berries, blackberries are a great source of ellagic acid, an antioxidant shown to protect the skin from damage from ultraviolet light. Studies have also shown that ellagic acid may also repair skin damaged by the sun. Vitamin C helps heal wounds, and studies also show vitamin C may even lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Studies of cyanidin-3-glucoside, a compound found in blackberries showed it prevents skin cancer by inhibiting tumors from growing and spreading.
Eye Health
Vitamin C functions as an antioxidant in blackberries and one cup contains half of the daily recommendation of vitamin C. The body uses vitamin C for protection from immune system deficiencies, and may reduce the chances of macular degeneration, a condition in which fine vision deteriorates, resulting in central vision loss and is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.
Women's Health
Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant estrogens found in blackberries that may help relieve the common symptoms of PMS like bloating, food cravings, and even menopausal symptoms including hot flashes.
Digestive Tract Health
Just one cup of blackberries contains over thirty percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber, which promotes healthy digestion and aids in maintaining bowel regularity by bulking up the feces and reducing the time it takes matter to pass all the way through the intestines. Bowel regularity is commonly associated with a decreased risk for colon cancer.
Diabetes
Thirty percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber is to be found in just one cup of blackberries. The steady movement of fiber through the digestive system allows for a measured breakdown of food into its component parts. This even breakdown of food helps to curtail extremes regarding simple sugar uptake from the digestive tract. An excess of simple sugar uptake all at once can produce an unwanted blood sugar spike. A lack of simple sugar uptake may produce a rapid blood sugar drop. Either extreme can upset blood sugar balance. The quantity of fiber in blackberries helps avoid both extremes.
Bone Health
Blackberries are a good source of vitamin K, offering 36% of the daily recommended amount of this nutrient used by the body for the clotting of blood and to aid the absorption of calcium.

Zambroza is a unique and powerful blend of juices that are naturally rich in vitamin C - a powerful antioxidant.  Not only will you feel revitalised but these antioxidants have a powerful effect on the health of the skin helping you to look great too. This is Nature’s Sunshine’s top selling product worldwide – a great tasting, synergistic blend that helps to increase vital energy and replenish the body.

BENEFITS OF ZAMBROZA

• Supply powerful nutrients that give the body energy and vitality
• Maintain a healthy immune system
• Neutralise free radicals throughout the body
  COMBATING FREE RADICALS
  • Antioxidants are natural substances that stabilise highly reactive molecules known as ‘free radicals’. 
  • Free radicals occur naturally in the body.  Pollution, chemical additives, stress, exercise, sunlight and other factors can increase free radical production.
  • Excess free radicals can have a damaging effect on the body’s cells.  A great deal of attention has been directed at the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E because of their function in protecting the cells from damage caused by natural body processes, lifestyles, and environmental and chemical pollutants.
  • These vitamins, along with the trace mineral selenium, help to prevent important molecules and structures within the cell from reacting with oxygen, which often injures the cell structure. This process is called oxidation.
  
  RICH IN POLYPHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS
• Nature’s Sunshine has harvested the most healthful fruits and natural extracts from around the world and combined them into this unique delicious, nutritious juice that has been specially formulated to neutralise excess free radicals. 
• This unique juice blend not only tastes great but gives your body what it needs to enjoy maximum health and long lasting vitality - not only will you feel revitalised but these antioxidants have a powerful effect on the health of the skin helping you to look great too.
• Potency of antioxidants is measured by their ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity), which indicates their ability to neutralise and scavenge free radicals.  When tested by Brunswick Laboratories the results were astounding with Zambroza’s scoring more than twice that of the nearest competitor, demonstrating its superior protective properties.
• Rich in Polyphenols and Flavonoids Zambroza is proven to give unparalleled antioxidant protection.

Lack of vitamin D can be root of many health issues

Decades of research and thousands of studies find it's something not in your diet that may be making you fat and putting you at a higher risk for cancers.

More than three-quarters of Americans are known to be deficient in this supplement.

It sounds too good to be true, but studies show one ingredient helps build stronger bones, regulate digestive and hormonal systems, fight depression and elevate mood, boost your immune system and fight off prostate and breast cancer.

"It's one of the most important hormones, and it truly is a hormone. It's not a vitamin," said Dr. Henri Roca, a former LSU Health Sciences Center doctor who is now at Greenwich Hospital where he is the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine.

The hormone vitamin D, is made in our bodies by strong midday sun exposure, but with the changing atmosphere, extreme heat and tremendous rise in skin cancers and skin damage - known as photo aging - we now need protective sunscreen. So our vitamin D must come from foods, such as fortified yogurt, orange juice, cereal, and naturally in cold water fish such as salmon and tuna. You can also get it from supplements.

The latest studies show if you get enough vitamin D and calcium you could potentially lose six times the weight as people who diet alone.

"It's going to change how receptive the body is to insulin, and so it is a key modulator in how the body deals with sugar and insulin. And that's it's connection to weight loss," explained Dr. Roca.

Not only does it help your body burn, rather than store fat, but it also works on receptors in the brain to keep hunger and cravings more normal. Roca says a vitamin D blood test is crucial. It's called 25-hydroxy vitamin D or 25-OH D. He aims for blood levels around 50 international units in his patients. But he stresses, more is not better.

"For people who's levels are greater than 50 there is a slight uptick, uptick in the rate of pancreatic cancer," Dr. Roca said.

Go very high, and your calcium and parathyroid hormone could be negatively affected too, although that is rare.

Calcium works with vitamin D to burn fat, so in general "The Vitamin D Diet" recommends 600 international units of vitamin D and 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily. But check with your doctor and get a blood test.

A new study suggests that people who take calcium supplements higher than 1,100 milligrams a day may increase their risk of a heart attack. People who ate a moderate amount of calcium daily had a lower risk of heart attacks than people who got too little. So always keep in mind that too much or too little of either supplement can cause health problems. Aim for balance and let your doctor guide you. Dark-skinned people are usually more vitamin D deficient.

For a phone consultation with Dr. Roca on all supplements: http://drhenriroca.com/

He finds that most people usually need 1,000 IU's a day but it is all individualized. Six nutrients for faster weight loss:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/the-vitamin-d-diet

Meg's personal note:

I take all of these supplements and I also add in Green Tea supplements for the antioxidant and thermogenic (calorie burning) effect. I also take a packet of Juven a day after my workout to help repair and spare lean muscle mass.

Keep in mind that beginning in early adulthood, around the late 20's, we all start losing muscle which keeps us lean, strong and revs up our fat burning metabolism. That is why it is so important, especially for women, to do strength or resistance training along with cardio.

I do full body weight lifting along with my cardio of walking, jogging, high intensity interval sprinting, boxing, stair climbing and boot camp workout.

My doctor also has me on my body identical, non-oral, female hormone replacement therapy of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone and my blood is closely monitored to always be in the right range.

I never let my body sustain all the damage of going through menopause and lacking those three key hormones that are protective against so many terrible health problems including dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancers, bone loss and osteoporosis, muscle loss, eye problems, teeth loss, skin drying and wrinkling, urinary infections, and the list goes on and on.

The ones that work are patches, gels, injections or pellet implants, giving your cells all the "ingredients" they need to function properly. Your doctor will decide which delivery system works for you. I am on patches and gels.

Optimise use and recommend Nature’s Sunsine supplements.  Their labs provide for maximum purity, ensuring that raw materials and finished goods are what they claim to be.

You can purchase purifed Vitamin D capsules from Optimise or via our web shop online.

Vitamin D deficiency: Beyond bone health

At a glance

• Without vitamin D, only 10%-15% of dietary calcium and only 60% of phosphorus is absorbed.
  
• Vitamin D deficiency has been defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) level of <20 ng/mL
  and insufficiency is defined as a serum 25(OH)D level of 21-29 ng/mL.
  
• • The primary cause of vitamin D deficiency is lack of ­exposure to sunlight.
    
  • Treatment of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (low D) is usually achieved either through sunlight exposure or vitamin D supplements.
  Over the past several years, there has been much talk about vitamin D deficiency, with the debate centering around optimal levels of vitamin D; who should be screened; and, after screening, how to treat. In the past, vitamin D deficiency was associated with persons who had inadequate exposure to sunlight or who lacked access to sufficient amounts of foods containing calcium, resulting in rickets. Over the past decade, information in the literature suggests that vitamin D deficiency may be more prevalent than first suspected and that the adverse health effects of low vitamin D levels may be far-reaching.
  Vitamin D has been implicated in a variety of health-related disorders. Although the primary indication for vitamin D is maintenance of bone health, vitamin D also factors into a number of physiologic processes, such as immunity, calcium absorption, and homeostasis of various organs. Adults whose low vitamin D levels remain unresolved may experience muscle weakness, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, and increased risk of falls. Decreased vitamin D intake and lower levels of serum vitamin D have been associated with some autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, and psoriasis. In addition, low serum vitamin D levels have been linked to increased risk of hypertension, MI, and death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD).¹ Table 1 presents a list of diseases in which vitamin D has been implicated.² According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), however, the evidence related to these diseases has been inconsistent and further research is needed. While the investigative work continues, any adverse effects of vitamin D deficiency can be avoided if persons at risk are identified, screened, and treated appropriately in a timely fashion.
  

  Background

  Vitamin D was discovered in 1922 during the quest to cure rickets. Originally classified as a vitamin, vitamin D is actually a prohormone in the endocrine system of the skin. Vitamin D comprises a group of fat-soluble sterol compounds that includes ergocalciferol (vitamin D₂) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃). Vitamin D₂ can be obtained from UV irradiation of the yeast sterol ergosterol. It is found naturally in sun-exposed mushrooms and may be ingested from plant or fish sources. Vitamin D₃ is  synthesized by the skin from cholesterol under the influence of UV light and is present in oil-rich fish, such as mackerel and salmon.³ In the liver, vitamin D is hydroxylated to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), or calcidiol. In the kidney, calcidiol is hyroxylated to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25[OH]2D), or calcitriol. In turn, calcitriol increases intestinal absorption of calcium, enchances bone resorption, and decreases renal calcium and phosphate excretion. The function of vitamin D is to promote absorption of calcium in the intestine and to maintain adequate serum phosphate and calcium concentration in order to ensure normal bone mineralization. Without vitamin D, only 10%-15% of dietary calcium and only 60% of phosphorus is absorbed. When the level of vitamin D is sufficient, these amounts increase to 30%-40% for calcium and 80% for phosphorus. Vitamin D is also needed for bone growth and remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The vitamin D content of various foods is presented in Table 2.
  

  Definition and prevalence

  The diagnostic test used to assess for vitamin D deficiency is a serum 25[OH]D determination. Deficiency has been defined as a serum 25(OH)D level of <20 ng/mL and insufficiency is defined as a serum 25(OH)D level of 21-29 ng/mL. According to recent estimates reported by The Endocrine Society, 20%-100% of U.S., Canadian, and European elderly men and women have vitamin D deficiency, 50% of Hispanic and black adolescents in Boston are deficient, 48% of white preadolescent girls in Maine have vitamin D levels <20 ng/mL, and 42% of black females aged 15-49 years have levels of <15 ng/mL by the end of winter.³ Other levels of vitamin D and the associated health implications are shown in Table 3.
  The primary cause of vitamin D deficiency is lack of exposure to sunlight, with exposure defined as sun shining on the arms and legs for five to 30 minutes between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM twice a week. Keep in mind that application of sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of 30 decreases the synthesis of vitamin D by 95%. Other causes of vitamin D deficiency include obesity (BMI >30), fat malabsorption syndromes, nephrotic syndrome, hyperparathyroidism, some lymphomas, and HIV/AIDS.
  Among the primary benefits of adequate amounts of vitamin D are decreased risk of fracture and prevention of falls in older adults. According to research from Canada, inadequate levels of vitamin D (levels <20 ng/mL) have been linked an increased risk (30%-50%) of colon, breast, and prostate cancer.⁴
  

  Guidelines for evaluation of vitamin D deficiency

  In 2009, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published guidelines on the evaluation and treatment of vitamin D deficiency,⁵ and in 2011, The Endocrine Society provided its own recommendations that also included prevention of vitamin D deficiency.³ Both organizations provided comprehensive guidelines on which patients to screen. However, a side-by-side comparison of these recommendations (Table 4) reveals some distinct differences. Also included in Table 4 are this author's recommendations of which of the patients seen in general practice should be screened. The AHRQ included in its recommendations the assessments that comprise an appropriate physical examination. These include general appearance, height and weight, vital signs, overall skin evaluation, skin color, and assessment of bone pain by pressing on the area over the sternum or shin. In addition to a serum 25(OH)D level, other laboratory studies that should be obtained to assess general bone health include a comprehensive metabolic panel, liver function tests, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, calcium phosphorus, protein, intact parathyroid hormone, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, total testosterone, serum C-telopeptide, urinary N-telopeptide, and serum osteocalcin determinations.
  

Optimise use and recommend Nature's Sunsine supplements.  Their labs provide for maximum purity, ensuring that raw materials and finished goods are what they claim to be.
You can purchase purifed Vitamin D capsules from Optimise or via our web shop online.