Natural Factors BlueRich Super Strength 500mg - 180 Softgels

BLUERICH SUPER STRENGTH BLUEBERRY CONCENTRATE

Supports vision and blood glucose levels

As far back as the Middle Ages, blueberries and their cousins the bilberries, have been renowned for their health benefits, particularly to improve visual acuity. During WWII, fighter pilots would eat toast laden with blueberry jam just before flying to improve their night vision. Recently, science has discovered exciting reasons to include blueberries as a staple in our diet. Research shows that blueberries do help vision and eye health but they can also slow aging, help cognitive decline, lower cholesterol, and help inhibit urinary tract infections. Why can the blueberry help with all these varied health conditions? Primarily it is due to anthocyanins, the phytochemicals responsible for their deep blue colour.

The Health Benefits Of Bluerich

- Slows cognitive decline
- Lowers cholesterol
- Lowers high blood pressure
- May support healthy cells.
- Prevents urinary tract infections, similar to the benefits of cranberry
- Delays the effects of aging

The Power Of Anthocyanins

The positive effect of anthocyanins on health is due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins can protect both large and small blood vessels from oxidative damage.

"In the course of inflammation, enzymes damage connective tissue in capillaries, causing blood to leak into sur- rounding tissues. Oxidants are released and further damage blood-vessel walls. Anthocyanins protect in several ways. First, they neutralize enzymes that destroy connective tissue. Second, their antioxidant capacity prevents oxidants from damaging connective tissue. Finally, they repair damaged proteins in the blood-vessel walls. Animal experiments have shown that supplementation with anthocyanins effectively prevents inflammation and subsequent blood- vessel damage" (Sterling). Blood vessel damage presents a great problem for those with diabetes; affecting many areas from eyesight, heart vessel disease to diabetic neuropathy. Consuming either anthocyanin-rich blueberries or blue- berry concentrate each day may help mitigate the damage and promote healing.

Eye Health

Blueberries can benefit everyone, young and old, and are an excellent adjunct to the daily diet, again due to the anthocyanin-rich content of blueberries. Anthocyanins are helpful for those spending long hours in front of computer screens, watching TV or playing video games. The health benefits of blueberries has led to blueberries being dubbed the "vision fruit" in Japan, where sales of berries and blueberry nutraceutical products have skyrocketed.

People with uncontrolled blood sugar are at high risk for eye and vision problems. That is where blueberry anthyo- cyanins can be remarkably protective. They may have a positive effect on glucose levels but blueberry anthocyanins ability to protect both large and small blood vessels from oxidative damage includes lessening microvessel damage from high blood sugar levels. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes and can cause blindness if not controlled. In retinopathy, the body tries to repair leaking, damaged capillaries by overproducing abnormal proteins. Not only do anthocyanins prevent capillaries from leaking, they also prevent abnormal protein prolifera- tion. This is shown in a study of 12 adult diabetics who were treated with 600 mg anthocyanosides per day for two months. Samples of gingiva tissue were taken before and after treatment. After two months, results showed a signifi- cant decrease in over production of connective tissue. The authors concluded, "anthocyanosides help to prevent diabetics from injuries caused by malfunction of synthesis- activities throughout normal diabetic medical treatment" (Boniface, et al).

Blueberries Good For Every Body

"If you had to pick one food to ensure your lowest rates of dementia as you get older, blueberries are the thing fresh or frozen it does not matter." (Pratt)

In 2000, a groundbreaking study by Dr. James Joseph of Tufts University showed that blueberries may slow brain ag- ing and protect vision. Nineteen-month-old Fisher rats (the equivalent of 60-65 year old humans) were given dried blueberry extract every day for 8 weeks. Other experimental animal groups had their diets supplemented with straw- berry extract, spinach extract or vitamin E. While all the antioxidant-supplemented groups had improvements in test parameters, only the blueberry supplemented rats actually showed dramatic improvement in balance and motor coordination. Here is an example: young rats can balance on a narrow rod for up to 13 seconds. Old rats usually fall off after 5 seconds. In this experiment, the strawberry extract, vitamin E and spinach supplemented rats fell off just as quickly as the control rats. However, the blueberry supplemented rats managed to stay on for 10 to 11 seconds, almost as if they were young again. Dr. Joseph stated: "This is the first study that has shown that dietary supplementation with fruit and vegetable extracts that are high in phytonutrient antioxidants can actually reverse some of the aging- related neuronal/behaviour dysfunc- tion... the blueberry-supplemented ani- mals were the only group to show reversals in motor-behavioural deficits. It is well-known that age-related decrements in motor behaviour in- volving alterations in balance and coordination as reflected in the tests we have used in this experiment have been very resistant to reversal." If extrapolated to humans, it would mean that blueberries could slow the loss of balance and coordination that so often accompanies aging, with tremendous implications to enjoyment and quality of life. Dr. Joseph further notes: "I make a point of tossing a handful of blueberries into a protein drink in the morning to start the day off right... Given the possibility that blueberries may reverse short-term memory loss and forestall other effects of aging, their potential may be very great" (Joseph, et al).

Urinary Tract Infections

Cranberry has been the traditional folk remedy for prevention of urinary tract infections. As it turns out, blueberries have similar compounds to cranberry and may help to prevent urinary tract infections. Just as in cranberry, com- pounds in blueberry prevent the adherence of E. coli to epithelial cells in the urinary tract.

Why Unique

Natural Factors BlueRich Super Strength Blueberry Concentrate has all the anthocyanin-power of fresh-picked blueberries. This extract is ideal for those who want the superior antioxi- dant power of blueberries, but find it inconvenient to eat handfuls of them everyday. Convenient blueberry con- centrate softgels are easy to carry if you are at work or when eating out.

Each 500 mg softgel of BlueRich Super Strength Blueberry Concentrate con- tains non-GMO (genetically-modified) blueberry in a 36:1 (36 grams of blue- berry equal one gram of concentrate) concentration, standardized to 2.5 % anthocyanins, with no pesticide or herbicide contamination.

The minimum ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) unit value of BlueRich blueberry concentrate is 150 units per gram, with most samples testing much higher (even up to a 250 ORAC unit value).

Note: A daily intake of between 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day is recom- mended by researchers to increase the antioxidant power of the blood, and according to studies done on rats, to protect the capillaries from oxygen damage. Although most persons get some of their ORAC units from their diet, to achieve the ideal amounts of units per day, researchers suggest increasing or supplementing the diet with an additional 1,000 to 2,500 ORAC units daily.

Safety

BlueRich Super Strength Blueberry Concentrate softgels are as safe as fresh blueberries.

Safe for everyone: From children to seniors

Pregnancy and lactation: Blueberries are considered safe during pregnancy and lactation. If pregnant women are concerned about taking blueberry concentrate they should check with their health care practitioner.

Allergies: Use with caution or avoid use if allergic to blueberries.

Sugar content: No added sugar. The natu- ral sugar content is 100 mg per 500 mg capsule. Blueberries are very low on the glycemic index.

Possible drug interactions: Those using anticoagulants like Warfarin or antiplatelet-aggregating drugs like Plavix should use blueberry with caution.