New research from the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland, says people in Central Europe looking for superfoods high in healthy antioxidant-rich foods should look no further than black raspberries.

Antioxidants are often touted as beneficial to humans as they prohibit, or prevent the oxidation of molecules in the body.  They protect against free radicals, which according to the researchers press release, are “natural by products of energy production that can play havoc on the body and that are closely linked with heart disease, cancer, arthritis, stroke, or respiratory diseases.”

[pullquote]The researchers reported black raspberries beat their cousins by over 1000 percent.  [/pullquote]

A team led by Anna Małgorzata Kostecka-Gugała compared the fruit grown in Central Europe to its better known cousins, red raspberries and blackberries, and concluded black raspberries have three times the amount of antioxidants. When the team assessed the amount of phenolics and anthocyacins, the researchers reported black raspberries beat their cousins by over 1000 percent.  

The berries also had a higher amount of secondary metabolites, which the researchers say have proven beneficial for human health. The recent study was published in Open Chemistry.