Eating purple coloured fruit can ward off age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart problems and cancer, scientists believe.
The odds of developing multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease may also be reduced by consuming blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants or plums, according to a study by the University of Manchester.
Researchers say one or two of the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetable should be purple fruit.
It is thought that a compound in purple fruit helps fight the harmful effects of iron, which can damage cells if it makes its way through the digestive system in the wrong form.
Although we are often told of the healthy effects of the mineral, benefits are only felt if it reacts with other compounds in the body. Iron that does not react can prove poisonous to tissue.
Purple coloured fruit
Compounds called polyphenols that make blueberries and other fruits purple are able to grab iron and keep it out of harm’s way. Green tea contains a similar compound, as does curcumin, the key ingredient of the curry spice turmeric.
Even chocolate may help but unfortunately red wine, does not have the healthy effects, the journal Archives of Toxicology reports.
Lead researcher Professor Douglas Kell said: ‘We normally think of iron as something that is good for us. And, in the right form, it is. But in the wrong form it is not good for you because what it does is react with things that are always knocking around in the body to make something very nasty indeed.’
Too much free iron could also stop vitamin C from helping the body fend off infections.
Parkinson’s UK welcomed the research, saying that it reinforced the message that a healthy diet is essential to stay healthy. But the charity and the Alzheimer’s Research Trust said that more research was needed.
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Eating purple coloured fruit such as blueberries can help ward off diseases including Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s, research claims.
Professor Douglas Kell at the University of Manchester, has found that the majority of debilitating illnesses are in part caused by poorly-bound iron which causes the production of dangerous toxins that can damage living tissues.
These toxins, called hydroxyl radicals, cause degenerative diseases of many kinds in different parts of the body.
In order to protect the body from these dangerous varieties of poorly-bound iron, it is vital to counteract the effect by taking on nutrients, known as iron chelators, which can bind the iron tightly.
Brightly-coloured fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of chelators, as is green tea. However, purple fruits are considered to have the best chance of binding the iron effectively, said the professor.
Despite conflicting reports, the widely-publicised benefits of red wine seem to work in a different way, and have no similar benefits, Professor Kell’s paper noted.
The new report is the first time so many different diseases have been linked to the presence of the wrong form of iron, and gives a clue as to how to prevent them, or at least slow them down.
In his report, Professor Kell argues that the means by which poorly-bound iron speeds up the onset of debilitating diseases shows up areas in which current, traditional thinking is flawed and can even be dangerous.
For instance, Vitamin C is thought to be of great benefit to the body’s ability to defend itself against toxins and diseases.
However Professor Kell, indicates that excess vitamin C can in fact have the opposite effect to that intended if unbound iron compounds are also present.
Only when iron is suitably and safely bound or “chelated,” will vitamin C work effectively.
Professor Kell said: “Much of modern biology has been concerned with the role of different genes in human disease.
“The importance of iron may have been missed because there is no gene for iron as such. What I have highlighted in this work is therefore a crucial area for further investigation, as many simple predictions follow from my analysis.
“If true they might change greatly the means by which we seek to prevent and even cure such diseases.”
The findings are published in the Archives of Toxicology.
Research from Professor Douglas Kell, at the University of Manchester, has found that the majority of debilitating illnesses are in part caused by faulty compounds of iron which cause the production of dangerous toxins that damage the body.
These toxins, called hydroxyl radicals, cause degenerative diseases of many kinds in different parts of the body.
In order to protect the body from these dangerous varieties of poorly-bound iron, it is vital to take on nutrients, known as iron chelators, which can bind to the iron tightly and detoxify it.
Brightly-coloured fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of chelators, as is green tea, with purple fruits considered to have the best chance of binding the iron effectively.
However, despite conflicting reports, the widely-publicised benefits of red wine seem to work in a different way, and have no similar benefits, Professor Kell’s paper noted.
This new paper is the first time the link has been made between so many different diseases and the presence of the wrong form of iron, and gives a crucial clue as to how to prevent them or at least slow them down.
Professor Kell argues that the means by which iron toxins accelerates the onset of debilitating diseases shows up areas in which current, traditional thinking is flawed and can be dangerous.
For instance, Vitamin C is thought to be of great benefit to the body’s ability to defend itself against toxins and diseases.
However Professor Kell, who published his findings in the Archives of Toxicology, indicates that excess vitamin C can in fact have the opposite effect to that intended if certain iron molecules are present.
Only when iron is suitably and safely bound (“chelated”) will vitamin C work effectively.
Professor Kell said: “Much of modern biology has been concerned with the role of different genes in human disease.
“The importance of iron may have been missed because there is no gene for iron as such.
“What I have highlighted in this work is therefore a crucial area for further investigation, as many simple predictions follow from my analysis.
“If true they might change greatly the means by which we seek to prevent and even cure such diseases.”
Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:
“It is important to note that this author’s report does not describe the results of a new study, but puts forward one theory about the possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
“We need to see more research into this theory before we’ll know if iron has any role to play in developing dementia.”
Dr Anne Corbett, spokesman for Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Iron is normally found in the brain and we know that it can become concentrated in the areas damaged in Alzheimer’s disease.
“However, there is currently no evidence that it is a cause of the disease.”
Eating blueberries and other purple fruit and vegetables can keep Alzheimer’s at bay because they are a rich source of chelators, scientists say.
Chelators bind the loosely configured iron molecules in the body and prevent them from producing dangerous toxins, called hydroxyl radicals, which trigger degenerative illnesses like Alzheimer’s.
Prof. Douglas Kell, a bioanalytical scientist at the University of Manchester, led the ground-breaking research, reports the journal Archives of Toxicology.
Kell argues that the means by which poorly-liganded (banded) iron accelerates the onset of debilitating diseases shows up areas in which the traditional thinking is flawed.
For instance, Vitamin C is thought to be of great benefit to the body’s ability to defend itself against toxins and diseases.
However, Kell indicates that excess vitamin C can in fact have the opposite effect if unliganded iron is present. Only when iron is suitably and safely bound (“chelated”) will vitamin C work.
Kell said: “Much of modern biology has been concerned with the role of different genes in human disease.
“The importance of iron may have been missed because there is no gene for iron as such. What I have highlighted in this work is therefore a crucial area for further investigation, as many simple predictions follow from my analysis,” he said.