Diabetes is New Zealand’s largest and fastest growing health issue - the number of New Zealanders living with diabetes has doubled to 250,000 in the last 10 years, and it's estimated that 1 in 4 adults are pre-diabetic. Poor nutrition and lack of regular exercise are major contributors.
One of the key ingredients to our Shots, NZ grown Blackcurrants, have recently made headlines on the world-stage for their incredibly dense and rich volumes of a special group of antioxidants, called anthocyanins. Literature has proven that New Zealand blackcurrants have significantly higher levels of this antioxidant compared to other berry types, and compared to blackcurrants grown anywhere else on earth!
What are Anthocyanins?
Anthocyanins are pigments found in plants that are believed to offer a range of health benefits. They are just one of more than 6,000 flavonoid polyphenol phytonutrients that have several antioxidant effects. They work to fight free radicals in our bodies, the things that damage our cells and increase the risk of disease. Anthocyanins help the body’s own response to oxidative stress and have a wide range of beneficial effects to our health, such as antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-obesity effects, as well as aiding in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
The results are in!
A study undertaken by the University of Chichester and Worcester found that people consuming NZ blackcurrant powder for 7 days had significantly lower blood insulin and glucose levels compared to those not taking the powder. These results indicated that the NZ blackcurrants increased insulin sensitivity, enabling blood sugars to clear more easily and may reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Another study found that New Zealand blackcurrants improve insulin resistance by a whopping 22% - which has incredibly exciting potential for the future prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes, as well as the associated health risks of pre-diabetes.
Because New Zealand blackcurrant varietals have very high anthocyanin levels, it is thought that this is the reason why our home-grown blackcurrants have such a substantial effect on certain diabetic markers.
But wait, there's more! The mighty blackcurrant contains high levels of manganese, an important mineral for helping control blood sugar levels, and contains 4 TIMES the amount of Vitamin C compared to oranges!
What's not to love about New Zealand-grown blackcurrants!
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