The high-bush blueberry is native to eastern North America, where it usually prefers moist habitats with acidic soil. The plant is a clumping shrub bearing small clusters of white flowers with narrowed corolla mouths. The delicious, juicy berries, which are purplish blue to nearly black with a waxy coating, are eaten raw or in preserves and baked goods. The genus Vaccinium includes about 450 species, distributed over most of the world, many of which are valued at least locally for their edible fruits. Bilberries, cranberries, cowberries, farkleberries, lingonberries, partridgeberries, and huckleberries are among the many fruits derived from this genus. Dried fruits of blueberry and bilberry are sometimes used to alleviate diarrhea, and contain compounds known to have that effect.

Numerous human epidemiological studies have found that people who consume more fruit, and perhaps especially berry fruits, have lower risks of stroke, heart disease, and dementia. Blueberry and its relatives contain a great variety of bioactive compounds, such as stilbenes and oligomeric procyanidins, which are among the heart-healthy compounds found in plants such as grapes and hawthorn. The anthocyanin pigments in blueberry have significant antioxidant activity. Most research studies on the effects of these compounds have used bilberry, which has been shown to benefit vision in humans. One study in rodents has shown that blueberry is anti-inflammatory, and another (using the closely related lowbush blueberry) has shown that blueberry consumption protects against brain damage from artificially caused stroke. Blueberry consumption may also improve cognitive performance in rats. A blueberry-rich diet is protective in a mouse model of Alzheimer?s disease and has been reported to counteract other effects of aging in rodents. A compound in blueberry also has cancer-preventive activity in rats. The weight of evidence therefore suggests that regular consumption of blueberry and related food plants may provide long-term health benefits.

Selected References

Bruederle, L. P., and N. Vorsa. 1994. Genetic differentiation of diploid blueberry, Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus (Ericaceae). Syst. Bot. 19: 337-349.

Joseph, J. A., N. A. Denisova, G. Arendash, M. Gordon, D. Diamond, B. Shukitt-Hale, and D. Morgan. 2003. Blueberry supplementation enhances signaling and prevents behavioral deficits in an Alzheimer disease model. Nutr. Neurosci. 6: 153-162.

Ramirez, M. R., I. Izquierdo, M. C. B. Raseira, J. A. Zuanazzi, D. Barros, and A. T. Henriques. 2005. Effect of lyophilised Vaccinium berries on memory, anxiety and locomotion in adult rats. Pharmacol. Res. 52: 457-462.

Suh, N., S. Paul, X. Hao, B. Simi, H. Xiao, A. M. Rimando, and B. S. Reddy. 2007. Pterostilbene, an active constituent of blueberries, suppresses aberrant crypt foci formation in the azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis model in rats. Clin. Cancer Res. 13: 350-355.

Sweeney, M. I., W. Kalt, S. L. MacKinnon, J. Ashby, and K. T. Gottschall-Pass. 2002. Feeding rats diets enriched in lowbush blueberries for six weeks decreases ischemia-induced brain damage. Nutr. Neurosci. 5: 427-431.

Torri, E., M. Lemos, V. Caliari, C. A. Kassuya, J. K. Bastos, and S. F. Andrade. 2007. Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties of blueberry extract (Vaccinium corymbosum). J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 59: 591-596.

Vander Kloet, S. P. 1976. Nomenclature, taxonomy, and biosystematics of Vaccinium section Cyanococcus (the blueberries) in North America: 1. Natural barriers to gene exchange between Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. and Vaccinium corymbosum L. Rhodora 78: 503-515.

Vander Kloet, S. P. 1980. The taxonomy of the highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum. Canad. J. Bot. 58: 1187-1201 [erratum pp. 2028-2029].

Vander Kloet, S. P. 1983. The taxonomy of Vaccinium section Cyanococcus: a summation. Canad. J. Bot. 61: 256-266.