Black raspberries may be new superfood!

Black raspberries may the new superfood on the block as they show greater health benefits than their better known cousins - raspberries or blackberries, according to a new study.

Berries contain potent antioxidants, which decrease or reverse the effects of free radicals - natural byproducts of energy production that can play havoc on the body and that are closely linked with heart disease, cancer, arthritis, stroke or respiratory diseases, researchers said.

It is usually the exotic Goji, Acerola or Acai berries that make the headlines as superfoods, they said.

The new study from the University of Agriculture in Krakow in Poland suggests that black raspberries grown in Central Europe show greater health benefits than their better known cousins - raspberries or blackberries.

Researchers led by Anna Malgorzata Kostecka-Gugala measured the content of phenolics and anthocyanins in black raspberries, red raspberries and blackberries, assessing their antioxidant potential and health benefits.

They were able to confirm that the antioxidant activity of natural products correlates directly with their health promoting properties.

It turns out that the amount of antioxidants in black raspberries was three times higher than the other fruits under investigation.

The number was even higher for phenolics or the amount of anthocyanines - with black raspberries topping their humble cousins by over 1000 per cent.

But most interestingly, black raspberries seem to be characterised by a higher content of secondary metabolites, which have been proved beneficial for human health.

The Central Europe-grown variety of black raspberries showed greater health benefits than raspberries and blackberries, researchers said.