Blueberries, red grapes boost immunity
Yogurt with berries. Red grapes and blueberries may give your immune system a boost, according to a new study. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Gombart and colleagues noted, however, that these findings were made in laboratory cell cultures and do not prove that eating blueberries and red grapes would boost a person’s immune function.
Red grapes and blueberries may give your immune system a boost, according to a new study.
Researchers found that both fruits contain compounds called stilbenoids, which work with vitamin D to increase expression of the human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) gene, involved in immune function.
The stilbenoid compounds included resveratrol in red grapes and pterostilbene in blueberries.
“Out of a study of hundreds of compounds, just these two popped right out,” said Adrian Gombart, a principal investigator at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, in a university news release.
Gombart, an associate professor in the university’s college of science, added: “Their synergy with vitamin D to increase CAMP gene expression was significant and intriguing; It’s a pretty interesting interaction.”
Gombart and colleagues noted, however, that these findings were made in laboratory cell cultures and do not prove that eating blueberries and red grapes would boost a person’s immune function.
The study was published September 17 in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.
The CAMP gene has been shown to play a key role in the innate immune system — the body’s first line of defence that gives it the ability to fight bacterial infection. The response is especially crucial as many antibiotics become less effective.
Previous research has found a strong association between adequate vitamin D levels and the function of the CAMP gene.
This new study suggests that certain other compounds may play a role as well.
The article first appeared in The East African.
