Eat your berries, dude

Anthocyanins contribute pigmentation to blood oranges.

One in three Americans is said to have high blood pressure, or hypertension. A new study by British and Harvard scientists has found that bioactive compounds in blueberries called anthocyanins offer protection against hypertension. 

Compared with those who do not eat blueberries, those eating at least one serving a week reduce their risk of developing the condition by 10 per cent.

The researchers looked at the diets of 150,000 people.

Dietary information identified tea as the main contributor of flavonoids, with apples, orange juice, blueberries, red wine, and strawberries also providing important amounts. When the researchers looked at the relation between individual subclasses of flavonoids and hypertension, they found that participants consuming the highest amounts of anthocyanins (found mainly in blueberries and strawberries in this US-based population) were eight per cent less likely to be diagnosed with hypertension than those consuming the lowest amounts. The effect was even stronger in participants under 60.

The effect was strongest for blueberry rather than strawberry consumption. I guess the strawberry lobby will be up in arms over this.

More at Wikipedia on the health properties of blueberries and anthocyanins.