Blueberries, cranberries, red berries, purple berries – say what? Yes, there is such a thing as a purple berry. You may not be that familiar with the term but new research has shown that when it comes to finding the best antioxidant source, nothing compares to purple berries.

A group of USDA scientists have come up with a study which suggests that among the highest fruits for best antioxidants, purple berries are even higher than blueberries and cranberries. Their preliminary laboratory studies told them that the elderberry, black currant, and chokeberry – collectively known as “purple berries” due to their dark color – are as much as 50 percent higher in best antioxidants than some of the more common berry varieties. This further proves that purple berries are the best antioxidant source and have the potential to provide more health benefits, from boosting the immune system, cutting down cholesterol, and preventing the onset of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease.

In the near future, scientists predict that best antioxidants from purple berries will play a bigger role in the marketplace where they are poised to be used as part of a growing number of specialty health foods, drinks, and nutraceuticals.

Besides purple berries, there are also other rich sources of best antioxidants. According to the largest USDA study yet, artichokes and beans may not be at the top of your list of favorite foods but when it comes to best antioxidants, these veggies earn a coveted place. According to the study, these vegetables are among a growing variety of foods to contain surprisingly high levels of the disease-fighting compounds known as best antioxidants.

In addition to artichokes and beans, researchers have also found that Russet potatoes, pecans, and even cinnamon are all excellent, although lesser-known, sources of best antioxidants.

This new study is more complete and much more accurate compared to previous studies, due perhaps to updated technology. It also includes a wider variety of foods for their best antioxidant test. Over 100 different foods were used as researchers analyzed their antioxidant levels, including fruits and vegetables, as well as spices and nuts.

Among the fruits tested, purple berries, cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries ranked highest when it came to best antioxidant sources. Beans, artichokes and Russet potatoes were also the top contenders among the vegetables tested. Pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts also had best antioxidants in the nut category.

But no matter which food source is a better antioxidant source or which one isn’t, the bottom line remains the same: eat more fruits and veggies. This was according to Ronald L. Prior, Ph.D., a chemist and a nutritionist with the USDA’s Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock, Ark.

Ever wondered how you get all those wrinkles? Those annoying crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes? Or those laugh lines around your mouth? Sure, these things are but part of the normal aging process. But what causes aging anyway? And is there anyway to retard it?

In biological systems, the normal processes of oxidation are what lead to aging. Oxidation causes the production of substances called free radicals which are highly reactive. These free radicals can readily react with and damage other molecules. Note that it says “molecules” so that means free radicals don’t make the distinction between foreign bodies and healthy cells. And when free radicals start attacking the body’s own cells, you can guess what the results are – Aging.

If only there was a way to get rid of those harmful free radicals…

Well, have we got good news for you? Free radicals are natural enemies of antioxidants. The function of antioxidants is to destroy harmful free radicals, counteracting the damaging of tissues and in effect, treating aging or causing its retardation.

Antioxidants are commonplace in nature. In fact, antioxidants are abundant in more common vitamins such as retinol or Vitamin A, ascorbic acid or Vitamin C, tocopherol or Vitamin E, and selenium. They can be nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions). Antioxidants are believed to play an important role in preventing the development of such chronic illnesses as heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, and cataracts.

Although antioxidants cannot completely rid our bodies of free radicals, they can however work to retard or minimize the damage caused. Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. By neutralizing, they themselves become oxidized. For this reason, our bodies are always in need of a constant source of antioxidants.

How antioxidants work is a two-way process. First is the chain-breaking. This is where the antioxidant comes in to break the chain reaction of free radicals turning other molecules into free radicals like them. Chain-breaking is also called Stabilization.

The other aspect is more on the preventive side. Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase prevent oxidation by reducing the rate of chain initiation. This time, instead of waiting for the free radicals to make a long chain of free radicals, antioxidants scavenge initiating radicals and destroy them before oxidation is set in motion.

Thus, aging is delayed and not only that, diseases and other illnesses caused by harmful free radicals are avoided.