Six superfruits grown in Poland, providing unique benefits to athletes

Chokeberries (aronia berries) protect the heart during physical activity [3,4,5].

Chokeberry is a type of shrub native to eastern North America that is also widely grown in Poland. In the food industry, aronia berries are most commonly used as a natural food dye. Just a small amount of aronia juice is enough to give food a deep dark pink color. Strong colorant properties of aronia berries are attributed to very healthy anthocyanins. A single glance is enough to tell that chokeberries contain plenty of these dye particles.

While in principle physical activity improves health, competitive sport may be associated with certain health concerns. For example, long-distance running, especially for less trained amateur athletes, can be risky. During a long run, the activity of platelets in the blood increases, which may lead to sudden cardiac events: embolism, heart attack, and other heart problems. It turns out that chokeberries can provide a necessary physical boost to less seasoned athletes, improving their circulatory health. These benefits are attributable to the effects of polyphenols and anthocyanins.

Aronia berries have caught the attention of scientists especially in the context of sport. They recognized the potential of aronia juice to protect the heart and circulatory system in amateur athletes involved in a high level of physical exercise.

A total of 10 men were enrolled in a study and divided into the study and control groups. Subjects in the study group were given 200 ml aronia juice for breakfast before a half marathon . Men in the control group were given a placebo juice. Major blood parameters were measured during the run. The effects of aronia juice were found to be very promising. Platelet activity indicated a reduced risk of sudden cardiovascular events. Aronia juice protected the runners throughout the entire distance of the run. The researchers came to a clear conclusion: aronia juice has a potential to alleviate increased platelet reactivity caused by prolonged running. This means that the runners who had aronia juice for breakfast before the run had a reduced risk of heart problems during the competition. [3]

However, reports show that aronia juice is a valuable addition to the diet not only in less-trained athletes. Health parameters measured in competitive triathletes who were given citrus and aronia juice also revealed a range of health-boosting effects. After the intake of juice, the release of chemical molecules responsible for the homeostasis (equilibrium) of the circulatory system and more regular function of the cardiovascular muscles were observed. A real cornucopia of health benefits! Such findings in well-trained elite triathletes suggest that the average Joe or Jane will benefit even more from including aronia juice and berries in their diet. [4]

There are yet other benefits of aronia juice. Promising findings have also been reported in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, one of the most credible scientific journals in the fields of sports and nutrition. Studies in a group of rowers suggest that drinking aronia juice helps with:

• Reducing the inflammatory response after intense training;
• Maintaining high iron levels in the blood, which also improves blood oxygenation;
• Improving post-exercise recovery. [6]

Currants improve cognitive performance.

• The main advantage of currants, especially blackcurrants, is their above-average content of polyphenols and anthocyanins. Even the International Olympic Committee has stated that polyphenols provide beneficial effects to athletes, including improvements in endurance and energy production in the mitochondria.
• Blackcurrants exhibit particularly high levels of activity and high amounts of polyphenols and anthocyanins. In fact, they contain as much as 130–460 mg anthocyanins in 100 g. This is quite impressive! Just to compare, healthy blueberries contain ‘only’ 62–300 mg anthocyanins in 100 g. [7]
• Anthocyanins from blackcurrants are known to relieve the inflammatory response, reduce oxidative stress, and make a valuable contribution to protecting cellular mitochondria.
• Blackcurrants also help to improve cognitive abilities, boosting the thinking capacity and enhancing brain functioning. After all, sport is not just about muscle power. Since movements are controlled by the brain, it is equally important to keep the mind in very good shape. This is a key focus area for both professional and amateur athletes, especially in sports disciplines that require confident and quick decisions, such as speed chess, team sports or climbing.

Cherries relieve muscle soreness, rejuvenate the body, and support a good sleep [1,2].

Do you know that cherry juice is one of the best natural remedies to relieve sore muscles (or, professionally speaking, delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS))? Cherries are among scientists’ favorite fruit improving athletic performance. Similarly to other superfruits, cherries contain large amounts of powerful antioxidants. To cut a long story short, incorporating cherries and cherry juice into athletes’ diet plans brings a number of tangible benefits:

• Helps achieve higher muscle power output during training. [8]
• Reduces muscle damage (as evidenced by reduced keratin kinase levels) immediately and up to 2 days after training. [8]
• Contributes to lowering the levels of inflammatory markers after exercise (the effect may be less desirable during the adaptation period, but very important before and after competitive sports events). [1,9]
• Relieves delayed onset muscle soreness (sore muscles after exercise). [1]
• Amps up melatonin production, which improves the quality and duration of sleep, contributing to body recovery. [9]

All the benefits of cherries for athletes have been proven in studies with marathon runners, footballers and rugby players, but also athletes engaging in less intense types of training.

Cherries and cherry juice are great for stimulating the body’s recovery processes. Consequently, they are recommended in particular for the duration of competitions (from 5 days before up to 5 days after the event), when fast recovery is the main focus, while improving athletic adaptation is of secondary importance. Cherries can also bring a lot of benefits to physically active people who have sleep problems, lead stressful lives or travel a lot between time zones.

In terms of support for athletes, the most thoroughly studied is one particular species of cherry – the Montmorency cherry. It can be safely assumed, though, that Polish cherries have similar effects. Regardless of what type of physical activity you pursue, try incorporating cherries into your meals as often as possible.

If you are preparing for high-intensity sports competitions, you can follow a cherry juice supplementation protocol before and after the event. Athletes are generally recommended to drink 235–350 ml cherry juice (or eat 90–120 fresh cherries) twice a day. Eating cherries is recommended from 5 days before to 3 days after sports competitions.

Gooseberries – a forgotten superfood with health-boosting properties

Gooseberries are a type of fruit related to currants that combine all the benefits of the superfruits discussed here. They contain many natural organic acids (including citric acid) that protect the brain from damage and dangerous accumulation of iron.

Gooseberries are low in calories (44 kcal/100 g) but high in fiber. These properties make them a perfect option for all those who are trying to lose some weight or maintain a good body shape.

Other benefits of gooseberries are, naturally, related to their antioxidant activity. They protect the circulatory system, improve the appearance of the skin, and are even being studied for their anti-cancer properties. Especially red gooseberries are a great health booster, as they contain more antioxidants than the white variety.

There are no specific protocols on how gooseberries should be used by athletes or to improve physical performance. Chow down on gooseberries because they are simply great for your health.

Interestingly, Indian gooseberry, popularly known as amla, usually sold as a powder, is among the world’s most antioxidant-rich fruit. It is a worldwide known and appreciated dietary supplement. Amla berries look a lot like gooseberries, but they are larger in size and have a bigger pit.

Strawberries in the athlete’s diet – delicious and low in calories

Strawberries also deserve a place in the list of fruit with special powers. While there are not so many scientific studies evaluating how strawberries can contribute to a measurable improvement in sport-specific performance, they have a big advantage over the other types of fruit mentioned here: they are full of flavor, and you can eat a lot without any effort.

By eating a 100 g portion of chokeberries, you may get more benefits that boost your sports performance. However, chokeberries are fairly sour-tasting, so you either need to add a sweetener or have a very unique palate. In contrast, eating a 100 g serving of strawberries is no challenge whatsoever. In fact, during the prime harvest season many people have no difficulty eating a kilo of strawberries every day.

Make the best use of the strawberry season and forget about tropical fruit during this time. Remember, strawberries are packed full of healthful components, too. [10]

A 100 g portion of strawberries provides only 32 kcal, but their fleshy pulp contains vitamins, minerals and a range of antioxidants, including:

• Pelargonidin – a pigment that gives ripe strawberry fruits their red color. In addition, it is very healthy.
• Ellagic acid and its salts – the primary antioxidants present in strawberries, contributing towards their inclusion among the top superfruits.
• Procyanidins – compounds known to boost the antioxidant power of strawberries.

Strawberries are among the few fruit types that contain anthocyanins not only in the skin but throughout the flesh. Many other fruit types, such as grapes or redcurrants, accumulate antioxidants mainly in their darker skins. In strawberries, the whole flesh is equally healthy and rich in antioxidants.

Bilberries improve digestion and bowel function.

Bilberries are also called European blueberries. They are naturally growing in Polish forests and were used for centuries by Slavic peoples in their traditional medicine. Before the discovery of insulin, bilberries were one of the most frequently used antidiabetic remedies.

As bilberries were long believed to provide extraordinary health benefits, they were given to pilots during World War II to improve their visual acuity and reflexes.

Bilberries contain extremely high amounts of anthocyanins, even compared to other superfruits discussed above. For example, bilberries have over 100 more health-boosting chemical compounds than blueberries, which are more widely cultivated and more recognized for their benefits.

You already know from the descriptions of other superfruits how well antioxidants can work. Although few studies have specifically addressed the benefits of bilberries in the athletes’ diet, they can be expected to have similar characteristics as, for example, chokeberries and cherries. [11,12]

In addition, bilberries have antidiarrheal properties, known in folk medicine and validated by scientific evidence, and regulate bowel movements. Athletes who experience digestive discomfort may gain relief by increasing the consumption of fresh bilberries or by preparing infusions of dried berries. In addition, bilberries are jam-packed with other health benefits.