Green Tea and More...

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Be Healthy. Be Green.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Purple Pigments in Berries Fight Obesity

Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, cranberries, strawberries, and purple corn (who knew?). What they all have in common is that their colors are derived from purple pigments called anthocyanins. Apparently these pretty purple pigments are pretty good for you too. But we already knew that, right? What we might not have known is that these same pigments can help fight fat or obesity if we want to be polite about it.

To be more precise, purified extracts of these pigments, which are concentrated in the skins of the fruits, seem to be far more effective than simply eating the fruits themselves. The study participants (who were mice by the way!) were eating a high fat diet to begin with, but if you're not, including fresh berries in your diet is definitely a smart move.

Since fresh berries and other purple fruits aren't always in season, there is another alternative that I recommend. It's an antioxidant drink aptly called PURPLE and it's delicious. I have some cooling in my fridge right now as a matter of fact. Cheers!

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