Health Briefs

The humble raspberry is being credited with superfruit powers. Not only can it help witih weight loss but it is recommended for reducing damage to the skin from the sun and alleviating the symptoms of hayfever. Raspberries are one of only a few fruits recommended to followers of the Atkins diet. According to Patrick Holford, founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, they are the ideal all round good for you summer food. This is because they are exceptionally low in calories (122 per punnet) and have a very low Glycaemic Load, which enables blood sugar to remain constant this providing sustained energy levels.

Sun worshippers should eat raspberries before facing the rays as they have the highest antioxidant content of any fruit. Tanning the skin exposes us to  harmful antioxidants which age the skin, cause wrinkles and increase the risk of many diseases including cancer. The only reversal to this is exposure to antioxidants. raspberries also help promote firm, healthy skin due to their high Vitamin C content. The fruit is also credited as a natural cure for hayfever due to their high quercitin content.

Quercitin, a bioflavanoid, inhibits the release of histamine which helps mitigate conditions bought on by hayfever. Eating raspberries can further enhance the appearance of skil as querciting improvies the health of capillaries and connective tissues which can help alleviate bruising, oedema, varicos veins and fragile capillaries. A diet containing raspberries can also help prevent pregnancy problems and miscarriages due to their highi content of folate.And if ithat wasn't enough - raspberries are also believed to boost a healthy sex life due to their high zinc content.

June 29th 2004