Raspberries identified as potential natural anti-inflammatory

The raspberry will be the star of the 2016 Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, USA, this week. In fact, six new American studies highlighting the small red fruit’s potential anti-inflammatory and obesity-busting properties will be presented to scientists at the event.

Raspberries are packed with essential nutrients like vitamin C. Plus, a single cup of red raspberries provides nine grams of fiber. That’s already enough to make the raspberry a fruit of choice as part of a healthy diet.

But it’s the pigments that give raspberries their red color, as well as the fruit’s natural polyphenols, that bring a cocktail of potential health benefits. American research teams from various universities have studied these benefits in six new animal and in-vitro studies.

In a nutshell, the research suggests that raspberries could help reduce the risk of chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s.

One of the six studies highlights the fruit’s potential anti-inflammatory properties. A team from the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Texas Woman’s University examined the ability of the polyphenols contained in the fruit to act on the production of osteoclasts — cells associated with the breakdown of bone — thanks to an anti-inflammatory action in bone cells.

As well as benefits for bone health, the raspberry has the potential to help regulate blood glucose levels, as researchers from Washington State University examined the effect of the fruit on metabolic syndrome in obese male mice.

What’s more, scientists from the Department of Food and Nutrition Science at Texas A&M University saw an improvement in the condition of obese diabetic mice presenting heart-related complications.

These initial studies will now lead to further raspberry research to test these hypotheses and the potential effects on human metabolism.