It's time the berry trade called for
back-up
01 April 2008 11:52
Mike Knowles
Go on. Have a bowl of goji berries, then come back and tell me whether or not you feel any healthier. Not sure? Surely the fact that a whole gaggle of celebrities is raving about how great berries are is proof enough? No? Madonna is telling anyone who cares to listen that she can’t get enough of those wonderful Himalayan goji berries. Apparently, they can improve your eyesight and circulation, protect your liver, cleanse your aura, wash your car, tidy your room, clean your teeth and comb your hair. One report even suggests they boost your sperm count. Hmm, perhaps Madonna isn’t telling us everything. Assuming it’s all true, though, I’m going to stop writing, call my bank and tell them to invest all my money in this amazing product.
But wait, it turns out the evidence is not so clear-cut. In fact, there is no clinical study or regulatory authority that has scientifically verified the claims made about goji berries. For the berry sector as a whole, health claims – some of which are indeed backed by real scientific research – have made the job of marketing fruits like raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to increasingly health-conscious consumers much easier over the past few years. But the science needs to be developed further. At the beginning of October, UK drinks company Innocent was told to withdraw an advert in which it described its acai berry, pomegranate and blueberry drink as a “natural detox superfoods smoothie” that could completely remove toxins from the body. The country’s Advertising Standards Authority said Innocent had not proved the claim, adding that it had failed to back another claim that the drink had more anti-oxidants than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
What the research needs to show is what effect the high levels of anti-oxidants found in fruits such as blueberries and blackberries actually have on the human body. As nutritionist Catherine Collins told a BBC investigation in February: “Just because something is a superfood in a test tube, it doesn’t make it a superfood in us.” Along the right lines is new research published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences just last month. This evaluated the ability of ellagic acid in berries to reduce DNA damage, which can lead to cancer. The study found that eating blueberries and strawberries led to moderate reductions in such damage, but for raspberries the effect was even more pronounced, with DNA damage reduced by 59 per cent.
Only by backing up its health claims with more indisputable evidence will the berry sector be able to sustain its recent staggering growth.
Go on. Have a bowl of goji berries, then come back and tell me whether or not you feel any healthier. Not sure? Surely the fact that a whole gaggle of celebrities is raving about how great berries are is proof enough? No? Madonna is telling anyone who cares to listen that she can’t get enough of those wonderful Himalayan goji berries. Apparently, they can improve your eyesight and circulation, protect your liver, cleanse your aura, wash your car, tidy your room, clean your teeth and comb your hair. One report even suggests they boost your sperm count. Hmm, perhaps Madonna isn’t telling us everything. Assuming it’s all true, though, I’m going to stop writing, call my bank and tell them to invest all my money in this amazing product.
But wait, it turns out the evidence is not so clear-cut. In fact, there is no clinical study or regulatory authority that has scientifically verified the claims made about goji berries. For the berry sector as a whole, health claims – some of which are indeed backed by real scientific research – have made the job of marketing fruits like raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to increasingly health-conscious consumers much easier over the past few years. But the science needs to be developed further. At the beginning of October, UK drinks company Innocent was told to withdraw an advert in which it described its acai berry, pomegranate and blueberry drink as a “natural detox superfoods smoothie” that could completely remove toxins from the body. The country’s Advertising Standards Authority said Innocent had not proved the claim, adding that it had failed to back another claim that the drink had more anti-oxidants than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
What the research needs to show is what effect the high levels of anti-oxidants found in fruits such as blueberries and blackberries actually have on the human body. As nutritionist Catherine Collins told a BBC investigation in February: “Just because something is a superfood in a test tube, it doesn’t make it a superfood in us.” Along the right lines is new research published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences just last month. This evaluated the ability of ellagic acid in berries to reduce DNA damage, which can lead to cancer. The study found that eating blueberries and strawberries led to moderate reductions in such damage, but for raspberries the effect was even more pronounced, with DNA damage reduced by 59 per cent.
Only by backing up its health claims with more indisputable evidence will the berry sector be able to sustain its recent staggering growth.
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