Benefits of red raspberries - health news

Initial findings from several studies - including both human subjects and animals - on the potential health benefits of red raspberries were presented earlier this year at the 2017 Experimental Biology conference in Chicago. Participants in short-term human trials experienced an improvement in glucose control and increased satiety, while longer-term animal trials revealed promising effects on the gut microbiota after red raspberry intake. The observations from animal and in vitro studies provided insights that support future hypotheses for red raspberry research exploring potential beneficial effects on pathways related to reducing inflammation, obesity, and type 2 diabetes risk.

"We are excited about this new flurry of studies, which builds on previously published research aimed to better understand the potential health benefits of red raspberries," said Tom Krugman, Executive Director of the National Processed Raspberry Council (NPRC). "Our Council is committed to delivering the highest quality nutrition and health science that consumers can use to make informed choices when aiming for a healthy diet."

While additional research, particularly in humans, is warranted, preliminary evidence from these studies suggests that the actions of essential nutrients, fiber, and polyphenolic phytochemicals found in red raspberries may play a role in supporting key metabolic functions, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and metabolic stabilizing activity. While this emerging research is promising, and contributes to the overall understanding of the health benefits of red raspberries, conclusions cannot be drawn at this time.

Blood Sugar Control
In this human trial, investigators from the Center for Nutrition Research at the Illinois Institute of Technology looked at two study groups: obese individuals with impaired fasting glucose and hyperinsulinemia (PreDM) and healthy weight individuals with normo-glycemia and insulinemia. Participants experienced a significant reduction in postprandial glucose when 2 cups (250g) of red raspberries were consumed with meals compared to no raspberries. The glucose lowering was accompanied with less insulin suggesting improved insulin sensitivity in individuals with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance.
* Xiao, D. Huang, Y. Park, E. Edirisinghe, I. and Burton-Freeman, B. Red Raspberries and Insulin Action: Understanding the Role of Red Raspberry Consumption on Postprandial Metabolic Indices. The FASEB Journal, April 2017, vol. 31 no. 1 Supplement 973.9. http://bit.ly/PostprandialMetabolicIndices

Satiety
In a secondary objective of the blood sugar control study, researchers found that subjects in the PreDM group who reported the highest level of hunger at baseline experienced greater satiety after the control meal compared to raspberry containing meals (p<0 .05="" 2="" a="" after="" and="" because="" breakfast="" calorie-matched="" compared="" containing="" contrast="" control="" cups="" determine="" eat="" experienced="" factors="" further="" g="" greater="" healthy="" hunger="" in="" influenced="" is="" less="" limited="" meal="" meals="" needed="" of="" outcomes.="" p="" participants="" raspberries.="" raspberries="" red="" research="" significantly="" study="" suppression="" that="" the="" this="" three="" to="" wanted="" was="" weight="" without="">* Huang, L. Xiao, D. Park, E. Edirisinghe, I. and Burton-Freeman, B. The Effect of Red Raspberry on Satiety. The FASEB Journal, April 2017, vol. 31 no. 1 Supplement 794.8. http://bit.ly/RaspberriesSatiety

Gut Health
In an eight-week pilot study, researchers from the Institute for Food Safety and Health from the Illinois Institute of Technology examined the impact of consumption of red raspberry purée or fructo-oligosaccharide on the gut microbiota and the subsequent bioavailability of red raspberry polyphenols in healthy volunteers. Consumption of the red raspberry puree and the fructo-oligiosaccharide for 4 weeks resulted in decreased Firmicutes and increased Bacteroidetes, which was more pronounced after red raspberry intake. Additionally, a type of bacteria called Akkermansia that has been associated with metabolic health was increased during red raspberry intake only. These preliminary results are promising. Further research is needed to support the hypothesis that the consumption of raspberry puree may change the composition of the gut microbiota.
* Zhang, X. Sandhu, A. Schill, K. Edirisinghe, I. and Burton-Freeman, B. The Reciprocal Interactions between Red Raspberry Polyphenols and Gut Microbiome Composition: Preliminary Findings. The FASEB Journal, April 2017, vol. 31 no. 1 Supplement 965.29. http://bit.ly/GutMicrobiomeComposition
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