Blackcurrants have shot to number one in a new superfruit premier league, kicking cranberries and goji berries into touch.
They had the highest score for antioxidant content and they also boasted the best results in medical trials, according to the first science-based review of health claims for commonly consumed fruits in the UK, conducted by the Scottish Crop Research Institute.
The nearest rival in the study, which ranked the top 20 fruit based on published evidence of their impact on major diseases, was the blueberry.
"Super" fruits such as the acai and the goji, were nowhere to be seen, however. "There's a lot of waffle about superfruits, frankly," said Derek Stewart, head of SCRI's quality, health and nutrition programme. "For some of them there are no studies at all."
Fruits promoted for their health benefits such as cranberries and pomegranates in fact fared less well than raspberries and strawberries.
No comments yet