The Benefits of Maqui Berry: Is It a Super Food?

Maqui berry, also called Chilean Wineberry, is a dark-purple colored fruit that mainly grows in Argentina and Chile. It may surely resemble a blueberry, but it has more to offer and is filled with amazing benefits. This fruit contains chemicals that work as antioxidants to protect our body cells from any type of damage. This fruit also helps combat health issues including obesity, diabetes, and more. This fruit can easily be incorporated into your desserts, smoothies, and other meals.

Benefits of Maqui berry:

Maqui berry offers numerous health advantages. Take a look:

#1 Rich in antioxidants:

Maqui berry is loaded with antioxidants, including anthocyanin, which protects human body cells from inflammation, damage, and oxidative stress. It also helps fight free radicals. Incorporating this fruit into your everyday meals may also help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and various cardiovascular problems. Various studies suggest that maqui berries have three times more antioxidants than strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

#2 Support eye health:

Your eyes are exposed to various lights, including your phone, sun, television, and so on- and we all know that excessive exposure to these lights can certainly damage the eyes. The antioxidants present in maqui berries offer great protection against eye damage and improve your overall eye health.

Exposure to excessive light leads to bad eye health. (Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash)

#3 Fights inflammation:

Various studies have suggested that maqui berries help combat certain problems associated with body inflammation such as arthritis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and lung conditions.

Studies suggest that this fruit fights body inflammation. (Photo by Kindel Media via pexels)

#4 Protects against heart disease:

Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, these berries are considered to fight against various heart problems. Though more credible research is required, maqui berries extract also helps prevent heart problem symptoms by lowering the blood levels of bad cholesterol present in your body. The anthocyanin antioxidant present in maqui berry is said to help prevent cardiovascular issues and aid in a healthier heart.

#5 A good source of fiber:

Maqui berries are rich in soluble fiber, which is known to slow down the movement of food through the digestive system, leading to reduced cravings and hunger. As a result, this may also reduce your calorie intake and help manage your weight. Furthermore, it also helps in detoxifying and cleansing your body.

#6 Controls blood sugar:

Maqui berry may also help control your blood sugar levels naturally. The delphinol present in this fruit extract helps lower blood glucose in diabetic patients. The compounds found in this fruit change the way your body uses energy and carbs and controls blood sugar level by 5%.

Controls blood sugar (Photo by Diabetesmagazijn.nl on Unsplash)

#7 Anti-cancer properties:

The antioxidants present in maqui berries also help to reduce cancer cell replication as well as tumor growth in any cancer patient.

A bowl of berries (Photo by Suzy Hazelwood via pexels)

#8 Improves digestive system:

Maqui berries enhance the growth of good bacteria in your body and help support your entire gut health. The berries are loaded with good dietary fibers which help aid digestive functions and also reduce the risk of gastrointestinal problems.

#9 Anti-ageing properties:

Premature ageing of the skin is a very common problem faced by men and women these days. Various test-tube studies have suggested that having maqui berries helps reduce anti-ageing signs by suppressing the damage caused by the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Maqui berry has anti-ageing properties (Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash)

#19 Available in varieties:

If you reside in South America, you can easily find fresh maqui berries everywhere. Alternatively, you can find them online as whole dried berries, powders, juices, oils and berry capsules. Maqui berry powder is a delicious and quick addition to your yogurt and smoothies. You may also use it to make lemonade and several other baked foods.

So, keeping in mind the above-mentioned benefits, we can surely say that “maqui berry is a superfood” and you should definitely incorporate it in your meals. You can try different recipes using this berry to reap its benefits.

Bottom line:

Though maqui berry is overall safe to consume in any form (juice/food/supplement), you should always have them in the recommended dosages. Some of the side effects caused by the high intake of maqui berries include a change in blood glucose levels and indigestion.

Also, a high amount of this fruit can affect your cholesterol and may interfere with certain medications. Therefore, it’s always good to take these berries in moderation and speak with your doctor to find out about the right dosage that you can have with your daily medications.