New research suggests that black raspberries may reduce inflammation associated with skin allergies. The scientific team found that a diet high in these berries prevented skin inflammation due to contact allergy. This is a condition that causes redness and inflammation in the skin. Dermatologists often prescribe corticosteroid treatments for direct use on the skin. However, what's interesting about the study is that simply eating a fruit can produce the same effects.
The researchers put a group of mice on a diet that included black raspberries. This equated to a single serving per day for humans. They also kept a control group in which laboratory mice were given the same diet but without the berries. Three weeks after starting the diet, the team exposed one of each mouse's ears to irritants that caused hypersensitivity. They then measured the reduction in swelling and compared each mouse's ears. They found that mice fed a diet containing blackberries had a decrease in swelling compared to the animals that did not eat them. Additionally, researchers found that black raspberries appear to modulate dendritic cells. These act as messengers for thebody's own immune systemand instruct it to intervene or not. Essentially, this means whether or not the immune response causes inflammation.
The immune system is very complex and consists of several players. So once they identify the unique cells affected by the berries, they can better understand how berries reduce inflammation. Many of the negative effects we see are not always due to the pathogens or allergens themselves, but rather to the way our bodies respond to these triggers. For example, with contact allergy, a person's skin encounters an allergen and the body responds by flooding the area with cells, causing inflammation and itching. One way to deal with these types of illnesses is to control this reaction, and that's one of the things that black raspberries seem to be able to do.
Natural remedies with perspective
Scientists have been studying the effects of black raspberries on inflammation in the laboratory for years. So a diet rich in such berries has proven promising. This may make it possible to reduce the inflammation associated with some types of cancer in the future. For this reason, the team asked whether fruit could also help reduce inflammation under other conditions.This studyis an early indication that these benefits may exist. However, the researchers noted that more work needs to be done to determine which specific properties of blackberries lead to a reduction in inflammation.
