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Do 'superfoods' really exist? One study takes a closer look at the magic of blueberries

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Are 'superfoods' beneficial or can too much be harmful?

Once again, the case of "superfoods" has been tried to see whether they are really worth the cash and the hope of good health. A show conducted a trial at Newcastle University, after recruiting five ordinary women to test whether eating blueberries regularly does have an effect to the levels of oxidative stress in the body caused by free radicals. Blueberries were chosen because they are a highly popular "superfood" that people spend millions of dollars on annually.

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Highlights

By Hannah Raissa Marfil
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
3/23/2015 (9 years ago)

Published in Home & Food

Keywords: Superfoods, Food, Health, Test, Experts, Blueberries, Oxidative stress

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The five women ate two bowls of Canadian wild blueberries every day for eight consecutive weeks, then they were subjected to two tests, led by Professor Mark Birch-Machin. 
The tests found that all five women exhibited lower levels of oxidative stress in their bodies after eight weeks of blueberries than before. This backs up previous research where athletes were asked to eat 250g of wild blueberries a day for 12 weeks, and then showed a significant decrease in their bodies' oxidative stress up to 88 percent. 
According to NetDoctor, oxidative stress have been linked to diseases like cancer and have effects on how the body ages.
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Some experts are reminding the public that eating too much of these superfoods can end up causing more damage than benefit. 
Last year, nutritionist Petronella Ravenshear warned that goji berries, quinoa and kale should be avoided, as they could cause "problems like thyroid malfunction and arthritis flare-ups," as reported in the Daily Mail. Chia seeds are also harmful because they may cause gut problems. 
Although the superfoods can actually have benefits, the damage is more alarming. 
Experts at the Institute for Functional Medicine voted last year on what people should eat: avocado, spinach, seaweed, pomegranate, blueberries, broccoli (and all cruciferous vegetables), grass-fed buffalo/beef, wild Alaskan salmon, almonds, coconut oil, olive oil and green tea.

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