Scientists have put together a cocktail of seven fruit juices, including grapes and the not-so-familiar lingonberry, that boosts health, cuts the risk of heart disease and stroke and also tastes good. The ‘super-smoothie' contains grapes, apples, blueberries and strawberries. However, there are exotic additions. These include so-called superfoods cowberry (aka lingonberry), a tart red fruit related to the cranberry, and acerola, a red cherry-like fruit that has 30 times more vitamin C than orange juice. The final ingredient of the smoothie is aronia, or chokeberry, an American blackberry once described as the ‘healthiest berry in the world,' the journal Food and Function reports. Past studies have shown that compounds in fruit called polyphenols protect the heart and help prevent clogged arteries, according to the Daily Mail.
French scientists say their smoothie contains the healthiest and best tasting combination of fruit juices.
Blends of 13 different purees and juices were analysed in a lab for their effects on pig arteries. But the finished recipe was selected after tests by 80 volunteers. In tests, heart artery walls relaxed when exposed to the fruit juice cocktail, said researchers at the University of Strasbourg.