Maqui Wunderbeere

Beeren, wie die Maqui Beere oder Acai Beere, haben schon meist eine besonders große Wirkung auf die Gesundheit: Sie enthalten viele Antioxidantien und machen freie Radikale im Körper unschädlich. Die Maqui Beere ist die neuste Entdeckung in Sachen Anti Aging Beeren. Sie soll das Abnehmen unterstützen und das Altern der Zellen noch stärker mindern.

Die Maqui Beere, auch chilenische Weinbeere genannt, wächst an 3 bis 5 Meter hohen Sträuchern im südamerikanischen Patagonien. Dort, zwischen Argentinien und Chile, ist die Maqui Beere den Urvölkern bereits bekannt. Die Mapuche Indianer vertrauen seit hunderten von Jahren auf die heilende Wirkung der Maqui Beere.

Text Quelle: http://www.abnehmen.net/abnehmen-mit-der-maqui-beere/

Hier ist auch ein sehr interessanter Artikel über die Wunderbeeren (Englisch)

Wild Maqui Berry: A Superfood with Proven Health Benefits

Both fresh whole maqui berries and maqui powder made by grinding dried fruits of the South American Aristotelia chilensis plant frequently pop up on ‘superfood’ and ‘superberry’ lists. But do the health claims made about the maqui berry, also known as the Chilean wineberry, stand up to closer scrutiny? Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting science-supported health benefits of the maqui berry.

Lab Studies Rank the Maqui Berry as a Top Source of Antioxidants

Many common wild berries that grow in the northern hemisphere, such as the black elderberry or the wild blueberry (bilberry), are famous in the US and UK for their exceptionally strong antioxidant properties. But it’s not only the forests in North America and Europe that produce antioxidant-rich superfoods – in fact, in recent years researchers have discovered that South American forests are teeming with a host of superberries that have even more antioxidant power than the wild berries that grow in the US and UK.

One such antioxidant gem is the maqui berry which grows wild in the rainforests in Chile and Argentina (other South American superberries include the acai berry and certain wild blueberry cultivars native to Latin America). In 2006, Chilean scientists published a compelling study in the Latin American Archives of Nutrition comparing the antioxidant power of fruits and vegetables grown in Chile. Using the FRAP (ferric reducing activity power) method, the scientists discovered that no other food in this study had as much in vitro antioxidant power. Here’s an overview of the antioxidant power of some of the tested fruits and berries (expressed in mmoles Fe/100g):

• Maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis): 12.3
• Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus): 3.5
• Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa): 3.1
• White mulberry (Morus alba): 1.7
• European Raspberry (Rubus idaeus): 1.6
• Black grape (Vitis vinifera): 1.3
• Kiwi fruit (Actinidia Chinensis: 0.5
• Lemon (Citrus limon: 0.3
• White grape (Vitis vinifera): 0.2

Furthermore, a study published in the March 2008 issue of the journal Food Chemistry found that maqui extract also has antioxidant properties in vivo.

Research shows that anthocyanins are the dominating antioxidant compounds, both in whole maqui berries and maqui juice. According to a study published in the journal Phytochemical Analysis, fresh maqui berries contain on average 138 milligrams of anthocyanins per 100 grams, and dried maqui berries contain even more: a whopping 212 milligrams per 100 grams.

Antioxidant compounds, such as the anthocyanins found in fresh maqui berries and maqui powder made from the dried berries, help protect your body from the toxic effects of free radicals, unstable atoms that are generated by things like cigarette smoke and pollution. Free radicals can cause DNA damage that can lead to age-related diseases and health problems.

Eating Maqui Berries (or Drinking Maqui Juice) May Promote Cardiovascular Health

Numerous animal and human studies have demonstrated that antioxidants have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health (this is also why the best cardioprotective foods are usually high in antioxidants). A study published in the March 2008 issue of the journal Food Chemistry specifically investigated the cardioprotective effects of maqui in rats and found that maqui extract protected the test animals from heart damage.

Could Maqui Berries Offer Benefits for Diabetics?

Maqui berries have also been shown to exert anti-diabetic effects. Scientists from Rutgers University and North Carolina State University discovered that a standardized anthocyanin-rich formulation made from maqui berry improved fasting blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance in hyperglycemic, obese mice that were fed a high fat diet. A treatment with maqui anthocyanins was also found to increase both insulin mediated and non-insulin mediated glucose uptake in insulin-sensitive muscle cells.

Anti-Viral Effects

A study published in the November/December 1993 edition of the journal Phytotherapy Research found that maqui extract had significant in vitro activity against HSV-2, the herpes simplex virus type 2 (but not against HSV-1 which causes cold sores). HSV-2 infection, also known as genital herpes, is a common STD that affects an estimated 16% of Americans aged 14 to 49 years. However, at this point it is not known whether maqui berries have anti-viral effects against HSV-2 in humans.