It is a common clich� to claim that 'stress' can strengthen our human character and resilience.  In the same way, stress can exert enormous influence on the chemical composition of plants, including berry fruits.  The link between environmental or climatic stressors (elicitors) and deposition of health-protective secondary phytochemicals in plants is well established, and in the arctic tundra of Alaska, or the exposed plains of the Dakotas, these stresses are taken to extreme limits.  Surrounding many of the Alaska Native communities north of the Arctic Circle, wild berries are the only terrestrial wild edible plants which thrive in the harsh environment, and similarly in the Dakotas, these underappreciated species still are integral to the traditional diets.  In recent years, as native communities have shifted towards more Western diets and away from traditions, the incidence of diabetes and obesity has skyrocketed.  Using a hands-on, field-deployable Screens-to-Nature (S2N) approach, we have partnered with elders and youth from three geographically distinct Alaskan villages, and 5 tribes in the Dakotas, to assess the health protective (and in particular, anti-diabetic) properties of local berries.  Accumulation of bioactive flavonoid compounds (including proanthocyanidins and anthocyanin pigments) within a berry species varied according to geographic location.  Berry extracts proved capable of inhibiting adipogenesis, and in particular, proanthocyanidin-rich fractions reduced lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.  The complex phytochemical composition of these berries was able to modulate specific cellular targets relating to metabolic syndrome and obesity.  Research supported by EPA STAR Research Grant No. EPA RD-83370701 and USDA Tribal Colleges Grant.

Environmental stress, wild berry fruits, and human health
benefits

241st National Meeting (2011)

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Environmental stress, wild berry fruits, and human health benefits