In recent years, as a fruit with high nutritional value, blueberries have increasingly entered people's lives.
For many people, there is nothing more satisfying than picking up a handful of fresh blueberries and throwing them into your mouth while walking, and then experience the juices in your mouth as soon as you bite them.
So what will happen if you eat blueberries every day? Many netizens say that it can relieve thyroid disease, whiten skin, and improve vision. Are these all true?
Blueberry is often called one of the "Top Ten Kings of Fruits" and it must have a place in the list of "super fruits" circulated on the Internet. But what are the nutritional benefits of blueberries?
When it comes to the nutrition of blueberries, people usually mention two – anthocyanins and vitamin C.
The vitamin C content of blueberries usually ranges from 10 to 34 mg/100g, and the highest is only 34 mg/100g. This content can only be considered a medium level in the fruit and vegetable industry, and is actually less than strawberries, kiwis, jujubes, etc.
Anthocyanins have strong antioxidant capacity. Data show that different varieties of blueberries have different nutritional contents, with the highest content exceeding 400 mg/100g. This is indeed relatively abundant in the fruit and vegetable world.
Some netizens said it can relieve thyroid disease. There are many situations in which thyroid function may be affected, such as:
Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid gland. Common symptoms are increased appetite, excessive sweating, tremors, and difficulty sleeping;
Hypothyroidism refers to hypothyroidism. Common symptoms are fatigue, lethargy, constipation, muscle weakness, etc.
Goiter is an irregular growth of the thyroid gland, which may manifest as an overall enlargement of the thyroid gland or may manifest as irregular cell growth leading to the formation of one or more masses (nodules) in the thyroid gland.
Thyroid nodules are one or more abnormal mass structures in the thyroid due to various reasons such as genetics and environment. The cause is complex and has not yet been fully understood.
Talking about relieving thyroid is actually a sick sentence. Maybe what she wants to say is to promote thyroid health! Some studies do suggest that blueberries contain vitamin C, which may help promote thyroid health.
However, among fruits, blueberries are not particularly rich in vitamin C. And, while vitamin C is indeed a healthy nutrient, it has no special effect on the thyroid. If you really have any thyroid function disease, it is okay to eat some blueberries in a healthy diet, but you still need to follow the doctor's advice and take medicine at a reasonable time.
It is said that blueberries can whiten the skin mainly because it is rich in vitamin C, has good antioxidant activity, and can inhibit the activation of tyrosine, so that the tyrosine will not turn into melanin, and it can have a whitening effect.
There is some truth to this statement, but there is actually no particularly sufficient evidence. However, vitamin C is also a raw material for the synthesis of collagen that makes up the skin, so it is still good for the skin. Therefore, it can be considered that supplementing with vitamin C may have some benefits for the skin, but the whitening effect may not be as effective as you expect. If you want to whiten your skin, you should use daily sun protection.
Moreover, vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamin C. Just pay attention to eating more vegetables and fruits. Moreover, vegetables and fruits themselves are good for health. If you want extra vitamin C, just buy the cheapest one.
It is said that eating blueberries has good eyesight, mainly because of the anthocyanins it contains.
Indeed, some studies have found that anthocyanins can promote the growth of retinal pigment epithelial cells, suggesting that it may also have a potential role in protecting vision.
However, the current evidence for the benefits of anthocyanins on vision is insufficient, and blueberries cannot prevent or treat myopia. The European Food Safety Authority once evaluated the health claims related to blackcurrants, another fruit containing anthocyanins, and concluded that the health claims that it "improves vision and promotes dark vision" are insufficient in evidence.
As a kind of fruit, blueberries have the advantages of fruits, but also have their own characteristics and taste good. If you like to eat them, of course you can eat them.
However, if you believe in the exaggerated health benefits of blueberries, then I advise you not to get your hopes up.
In fact, at present, the various health effects of blueberries are basically derived from the "antioxidation" of anthocyanins, and there is no direct clinical trial data. Moreover, the claimed health benefits are suspected of being exaggerated.
Moreover, the more anthocyanins you consume, the better. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants that protect the body from free radical damage. However, too much anthocyanins can also hinder the absorption of minerals. People with anemia and zinc deficiency are best not to eat too much anthocyanins. People with poor gastrointestinal tracts are not advised to eat too much.
The price of blueberries is not cheap. A small box usually costs more than ten yuan or more. A small box is usually only 100 grams, which means that a pound usually costs more than 50 yuan. It is recommended that you choose fruits according to your actual situation.
Even if you want to obtain anthocyanins, you have many options. Basically, any food that is red, purple, black, or blue will contain anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are found in the peel of some fruits and vegetables, such as purple eggplants, dark red apples, purple cabbage, mulberries, purple potatoes, or other fruit juices.
If you are simply taking in anthocyanins, there is really no need to eat only blueberries. From a cost-effective perspective, foods such as purple sweet potato and purple eggplant skins will be cheaper.
