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.
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.
