Diet Mail Diet Mail- August 2014 | Page 7

FOOD OF THE MONTH RASPBERRIES Did you know that raspberries provide us with a wider diversity of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients than most other commonly-eaten fruits? And the vast majority of these phytonutrients are provided in amounts that are significant in terms of protecting us against the dangers of oxidative stress and the dangers of excessive inflammation. By helping to scavenge free radical molecules, and by helping to regulate the activity of enzymes that could trigger unwanted inflammation, the phytonutrients in raspberries help lower our risk of chronic diseases that are associated with chronic oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Such chronic diseases include obesity, type 2 diabetes, asthma, hypertension and atherosclerosis. Recent studies indicate numerous cancer-preventive effects of ellagic acid, including inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and causing cancer cells to commit suicide. The ellagic acid found in raspberries deserves special mention as an anti-inflammatory compound. This phytonutrient has been shown to help block over activity and overprodution of NF-kappaB, a key pro-inflammatory mediator. One of the most fascinating new areas of raspberry research involves the potential for raspberries to improve management of obesity. Although this research is in its early stages, scientists now know that metabolism in our fat cells can be increased by phytonutrients found in raspberries, especially rheosmin (also called raspberry ketone). By increasing enzyme activity, oxygen consumption, and heat production in certain types of fat cells, raspberry phytonutrients like rheosmin may be able to decrease risk of obesity as well as risk of fatty liver. In addition to these benefits, rheosmin can decrease activity of a fatdigesting enzyme released by our pancreas called pancreatic lipase. This decreas