Maqui berries have hit the shelves of health food stores across Australia and dietitians and nutritionists are hailing them as the latest superfood discovery. What are maqui berries? Is there a reason why you should eat maqui berries or are they a special purpose nutritional supplement?
What are Maqui Berries?
Native to Chile in South America, maqui berries are also called Chilean wine berries. They grow in such abundance in that country, they do not as yet even need to be cultivated for commercial purposes. Especially prevalent in the Patagonia region of southern Chile, they have been used regularly by the indigenous Mapuche people of the region for millennia, but have only recently been introduced to the West.
The scientific name for maqui berries is aristotelia chilensis. Since attracting the attention of researchers, a great deal has been learned about the health benefits of these small, deep purple berries. As is true of other purple berries and flowers, the pigment in maqui berries contains anthocyanins, which are known to produce high levels of antioxidants. Maqui berries, like Concord grapes, also contain specific anthcyanins known as delphinidins that demonstrate powerful anti-inflammatory activity in the body. Significantly, though, maqui berries contain delphinidins in much higher concentrations than other berries.
Health Benefits of Maqui Berries
Because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, maqui berries are believed to be able to reduce the risk of contracting a number of degenerative diseases that are associated with inflammation. In medical terminology, the suffix 'itis' is derived from a Greek word that means inflammation, so in theory, maqui berries may help prevent any disease that ends in that suffix.
The antioxidant properties of maqui berries give them even more health benefits, helping prevent oxidation of blood cholesterol. Since cholesterol oxidation is known to be a factor in the development of all types of cardiovascular diseases, maqui berries may be able to help prevent heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases known to be associated with excessive levels of cholesterol.
As if these are not enough, here are some other possible health benefits of maqui berries:
- They are believed to be able to slow the growth of colon cancer cells.
- Maqui berries increase insulin levels more than any other plant yet known. This suggests that eating maqui berries or drinking maqui berry juice after meals may help inhibit the formation of fat cells.
- Antibacterial activity noted in maqui berries indicates that their consumption may help prevent bacterial illnesses.
In Australia, you can get the health benefits of maqui berries in supplements and juices. Delicious, nutritious and possibly one of the most potent superfoods available, they are certainly worth giving a try.
Note: The image used to accompany this article is of blueberries. We are unable to source a royalty-free image of maqui berries. They are similar in appearance to blueberries.
