BoomBites have been hailed as a new superfood (Image: Supplied)
Adding colour to your diet could add years to your life, because studies show that eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables reduces your risk of a wide range of health problems including cardiovascular disease. And when it comes to heart health, red, blue and purple fruits and vegetables pack the most protective punch. This colour code to good health stems from the extraordinary power of polyphenols, an extended family of bioactive plant compounds, and in particular anthocyanins, which includes the natural pigments that give fruits and vegetables their vibrant colours. One study found that packing your diet with polyphenols reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 46%.
And while mums down the ages really did know best when they told their children ‘eat your greens’, some of the most exciting science surrounds polyphenols called anthocyanins. Found in red, blue and purple fruits and vegetables, these powerful antioxidants account for the superfood status of blueberries, goji berries and cranberries and high intakes have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 26%.
Dr Roy Jogiya, a cardiologist and Chief Medical Advisor of the charity Heart Research UK, says: “There is a growing body of evidence which suggests anthocyanins are particularly important for a healthy heart and cardiovascular health. Looking at specific cardiovascularoutcomes, higher anthocyanin intakes have been associated with an 18% reduction in myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack, the risk of developing high blood pressure being cut by 8% reduction and an 11% drop in type 2 diabetes — which often goes hand-in-hand with cardiovascular disease.”
BoomBites grapes are on sale in M&S (Image: BoomBites)
Now shoppers can boost their intakes of anthocyanins by eating specially cultivated red berry grapes, called BoomBites, which are a deep red from skin to centre and contain turbo-charged levels of these heart-healthy natural compounds. The new grapes were created using traditional cross-breeding techniques to combine the red-flesh and high anthocyanin and polyphenol levels of old varieties of wine grapes with the sweetness and crunch of the best red table grapes. They are still only grown in small numbers, but part of this year’s crop is headed to the UK.
Independent research has found these new cultivars have six times more anthocyanins than a traditional black table grape, as well as rich concentrations of resveratrol, which is also linked to cardiovascular benefits, and high total polyphenols.
Dr Jogiya says: “Polyphenols seem to be particularly important for the cardiovascular system, with a study in UK twins showing higher intakes are associated with lower blood pressure, healthier cholesterol levels, and a reduced risk of heart disease.”
Every 10-point increase in participants’ polyphenol-rich dietary score was tied to an 8.5% reduction in their risk of heart disease risk. Cardiovascular disease kills one in four people in the UK, 170,000 people annually and there are another eight million people living with some form of cardiac problem.
In some parts of the UK cardiovascular disease is now the most common cause of premature death, yet in many cases this can be prevented with lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet, exercise, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption.
Anthocyanins and other polyphenols appear to protect the heart and circulation system in several ways. A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition concluded that regular consumption of anthocyanin-rich red-fleshed grapes and berries “could prevent cardiovascular diseases through their lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory properties”.
Colour me fascinated
Nichola Ludlam-Raine a registered dietitian says: “There is a lot of interest in nutrient density – the vitamins, minerals and other beneficial compounds, per calorie, in the foods we eat – but there is growing evidence that colour density is hugely important, too. Colourful fruits and vegetables are literally signposting their goodness, so eating a rainbow of natural foods is a surefire way to boost your intake of polyphenols. Conversely, beware of too many beige foods such as pastries, cakes, biscuits, crisps and fries as they are often highly processed and many are high in fats and sugar.”
Studies show that plant pigments have antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, and appear to reduce inflammation and help to protect against type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and liver problems.
Here’s how the other hues can help:
- Orange and yellow come from carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and beta-carotene, which are found in carrots, red peppers, corn and Goji berries. These antioxidants influence eye health and are key ingredients in the AREDs formula, a combination of nutrients which delays the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration. Lutein, another carotenoid has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and has benefits for cardiovascular disease;
- Green leafy vegetables get their colour from chlorophylls, which are antioxidants but their confirmed health properties flow from folate, lutein and other health-enhancing phytochemicals. Folate, aka vitamin B9, helps break down damaging homocysteine and protects against a wide range of chronic diseases and health challenges including cardiovascular disease;
- White vegetables such as onions and garlic have high levels of allicin, a pungent chemical which helps protect them from pests. It has a wide range of proven health properties including reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and damping down inflammation;
- Brown foods such as sesame, flax seeds, nuts and wholegrains provide lignans, a group of polyphenols. There is some evidence they help lower cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular risk and reduce chronic inflammation.
Dr Roy Jogiya says anthocyanins are important for a healthy heart and cardiovascular system (Image: Courtesy Dr Roy Jogiya)
And a new evidence review in the journal Nutrients, which analysed data from 37 studies looking specifically at blueberries, grapes and red-fleshed grapes – such as BoomBites – reported: “The overarching totality of evidence indicates that grape- and berry-derived bioactives produce small but reproducible improvements in cardiovascular risk markers.”
It found that anthocyanin-rich foods appear to work in several ways including lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, protecting against hardening of the arteries and improved endothelial function, which is the health and elasticity of blood vessels.Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist and one of the authors of the Nutrients paper, says, “The science is really exciting. Cardiovascular disease is a huge challenge in the UK, and the evidence shows that something as simple as eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, and fruits abundant in anthocyanins in particular, can make a difference.
“Swapping your lighter standard fruits for red-fleshed BoomBites red berry grapes that have anthocyanins all the way through is an easy and enjoyable way to increase your intakes.”
Amie Leckie, Health and Wellbeing Specialist at Heart Research UK, adds: “There are so many different ways that red-fleshed grapes and other foods which are rich in anthocyanins can support heart health, it really does make sense to enjoy them as part of a healthy diet.”
Crucially, the studies found that the people most likely to benefit from upping their intakes of anthocyanins are those who have metabolic syndrome — the term doctors now use for a collection of health challenges which increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease. A large review of 37 clinical trials found that when people consumed more than 300mg of anthocyanins a day for at least eight weeks, they experienced improvements in several key markers of metabolic health and glucose control.
This is probably down to a surprising sweet spot discovered by researchers at the University of Murcia who found that, despite having similar amounts of natural fruit sugars, the new red berry grape varieties showed much lower glucose uptakes than standard varieties.
Registered dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine, says, “In simple terms, this means that while new red berry grapes are sweet to the taste, the combination of phenols they contain alters the way these sugars are transported and absorbed in the gut – and this could have major positive implications for weight control and insulin response.”
She adds: “We know there is a strong association between type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and many experts argue that there is now an urgent need for management strategies to address these overlapping epidemics. This research suggests that an easy-to-action strategy would be to increase intakes of anthocyanins.”
BoomBites red berry grapes are due soon for a limited time only at Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Ocado. For more information and recipes go to boombites.com
