In nutrition, is there evidence for a category of “super”
fruit and vegetables? Are there accepted definitions that
make “superfruit” more than just a marketing term?
Unfortunately, the answer to both questions is a firm
“maybe.” In retrospect from the vantage of late 2014, the
“super” in “superfruit” seems to have arisen chiefly from
the novelty of a small number of ingredients that have not
typically been part of Western diets. Also important was
a period of giddy promotion by The Oprah Winfrey Show
and The Dr. Oz Show circa 2008. The primary initial objects
of the “buzz” and, let’s face it, hype, were probably
only a handful of items that included acai berry, acerola,
goji berry and pomegranate that were promoted as exhibiting
unique health benefits.
By late 2009, the producers of The Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Oz Shows were backpedaling
from promotions that were widely presented as endorsements
of superfruit greater nutrition and health advantages
not shared by ordinary fruit and vegetables. Today
the pendulum, after years of enthusiasm and attempts to
add ever more exotic fruit and vegetables to the category,
has swung back the opposite direction due to consumer
fatigue.
Novelty is important to the category. There are some
superfruits, such as sea-buckthorn berries, which are
widely consumed in Europe and Asia, yet barely known in
America. Black currant is another item with tremendous
nutritional value that is widely consumed in Europe, but
has not taken off here. Given that black currant is equivalent
in nutrition to recognized superfruits such as bilberry
and cranberry, and far superior to acai berry, its slow
launch into this market is a bit of a mystery.
The next interesting developments in super foods at
this point likely will not involve actual superfruit, but may
encompass vegetables, as well. The “fruit” side of the category
has been expanded very far already. Instead, emerging
foods such as the extremely anthocyanin-rich black
rice (the “forbidden” “longevity” rice) and the new black
garlic may be the next wave to capture consumer attention. Asia, the source of many items considered to be superfruit
in the US, is not immune to the category, as black
garlic and black rice attest. Another super food in parts of
Asia, again a vegetable, are “wild” and “mountain” varieties
of bitter melon.
Pomegranate, bilberry, blueberry, goji, cranberry and
grape will continue to be popular because they have defined
niches and histories of use. Moreover, each is backed
by considerable science and on-going research. Other
current superfruit entries may not continue to be so successful
in the marketplace. Acai, despite its current presence,
may not endure because there remains little or even
no science behind it. In its native Brazil, acai is used for
weight gain; in America, it is sold for weight loss. Both of
these uses cannot be right and the lack of science already
has caught up with many acai products.
Superfruit As A Category
The idea behind this marketing term is that these fruits are
exceptionally rich in nutrients, perhaps especially antioxidants.
Commonly known fruits seldom have been marketed as superfruits
despite the nutrient density of many of them; the key
is exoticism and marketing plus, usually, new taste or aroma
sensations.
Quality control can represent difficulties. Fruits from exotic
locales may be hard to police for continuity in color, taste,
nutrient content, and so forth. Fruits sourced from areas that
continue to use leaded gasoline can bring special issues for
testing and quality control. Moreover, many of the so-called
superfruit are the subjects of limited cultivation, which means
that suddenly demand can seriously distort availability and
pricing.
Superfruit As Antioxidants And The Changing Acceptance Of Orac Testing
One common promotion of superfruit has been for antioxidant
capacity, something often measured as ORAC. Oxygen
radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) is a method of measuring
antioxidant capacities in samples. ORAC includes more than
just antioxidant capacity. Testing labs can break out fast- and
slow-acting antioxidants, the status of free radical generation
in terms of peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, and so forth and
so on. At one point in time, it was thought that ORAC values
of total antioxidant capacity of supplements would provide
good guides to the overall health promoting capacities of
these products. However, today it is realized that the role of
antioxidants in the body is not so simple. For instance, supposed
ORAC measures of the antioxidant value of vitamin E
vary widely. Vitamin E has been reported as only slightly inferior
to astaxanthin as an antioxidant and also as 550 percent less
potent. Moreover, although vitamin E is a great antioxidant,
two decades of clinical research has failed to demonstrate unequivocal
health benefits. The consensus today is that there is
no direct relationship between antioxidant activity per se and
health activity.
Matters get worse. Antioxidant claims are made for hundreds
of nutrients, but this leads to a marketing paradox. To
paraphrase a famous observation, if every supplement is an
antioxidant, then being an antioxidant no longer is anything
special. ORAC claims today do not carry the marketing punch
that they carried a decade ago. ORAC claims may still be useful,
but nutrients now need to demonstrate specific benefits.
For instance, black currant offers more than just an extremely
potent ORAC value — it also offers potent and proven protection
for the brain and the eyes from its content of particular
anthocyanins, including delphinidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-
3-glucoside. Similar protection is found with bilberry. Just presenting
a high ORAC value will not confer these protections.
Some Superfruits And Vegetables Of Note
No matter how one looks at American eating habits, it is clear
that additional nutrition of the sort supplied by fruits and vegetables
should be welcomed. For instance, less than ten percent
of American teenagers consume the recommended daily allotment
of fruits and vegetables. Here are some of the choices
currently available:
Bilberry — Wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is a lowgrowing
shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae); it
is a rich source of several different anthocyanins, bilberry is
famous for supporting night vision and intestinal health as
well as neurologic, metabolic and cardiovascular health; a similar
fruit in terms of benefits and contents is the maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis).
Bitter Melon — Also known as bitter gourd (Momordica charantia),
this vegetable is widely viewed as providing significant
benefits in diabetes and, in its wild and mountain forms, for
promoting longevity (see the Total Health website article on
this topic).
Cherries — The dark varieties are rich in anthocyanins, with tart
cherries (Prunus cerasus) being especially rich in these nutrients;
significant anti-inflammatory, especially for joint aches
and pains and muscle pain and stress from exercise and overexertion;
cardioprotective.
Cranberry— Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) are best
known for supporting urinary health, in particular inhibiting
bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall
Goji — Goji or wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) has been promoted
for a large variety of benefits and conditions, including diabetes,
high blood pressure, fever, and age-related eye problems.
Mangosteen — Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) contains
various anthocyanins, xanthones and tannins; useful for inflammation,
intestinal and immune health.
Pomegranate — Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is an ancient
fruit famous for its healthful properties since ancient times;
supports cardiovascular health, prostate health, metabolic
health, exercise recovery and many other benefits; is on the
coat of arms of many medical organizations stretching back to
the high Middle Ages in Europe.
Conclusion
Many or even most of the superfruits and vegetables beginning
to make their names in the US have long records of promoting
health in other parts of the world. These foods provide
concentrated nutrition based on healthful phytochemical components.
Some of the superfruits and vegetables, although exotic
in origin, can readily be made a part of the daily diet. This,
of course, is the best way to approach superfruits, i.e., move
them out of the “exotic” category and into a daily use category.
Small changes in habits can then be harnessed to provide real
health benefits over the long run.
