Believe the hype and they’re the natural solution for everything from cancer, heart disease and dementia to ageing skin, poor eyesight and insomnia. No wonder ‘superfruits’ pop up in cereals, desserts, snack bars, juice, face cream — even designer gin. But though it is claimed that goji berries, acai juice, pomegranates and cranberries are rooted in  ancient medicine, the explosion in their use is, in fact, a modern phenomenon. Sugarfruit: 'Superfruit' cranberry is often coated in sugar to be made palatable and it is also added to cranberry juice . Two out of three juices launched last year claimed to contain superfruit. A major launch in 2011 was Cherrygood — a fruit juice made in part from an imported American cherry supposedly very high in antioxidants. One glass will give ‘the equivalent health benefits of around 20 portions of fruit and vegetables’. Though the company offers no proof of that claim, Cherrygood has been a hit, with all supermarkets and health stores stocking it. But anti-obesity campaigners point out it has as much sugar as cola — about 5 tsp in a 250ml serving. Cherrygood Plus has 9 tsp sugar. Despite doubts around the science, superfruits and their spin-offs keep coming. Last year saw the launch of a ‘supertree’ — the powder of the bark of the African baobab, which you mix into yoghurt or water to get ‘six times more vitamin C than oranges’. Meanwhile, Waitrose is busy pushing yuzu lemonade, from a Japanese citrus fruit that has ‘three times as much vitamin C as lemons’. Some kind of super: Pomegranate juice has been found to help hospital patients with poor bloodflow . Sales are soaring of fibre and potassium-rich goldenberries, a dried version of the South American cape gooseberry. Predicted for success in 2014 is the gac fruit from Vietnam, a spiky orange with flesh that looks like raw meat. It contains lycopene — an antioxidant also found in tomatoes — which is said to combat prostate cancer. Also coming up is the Chilean wineberry, a miniature blueberry from Patagonia, with ‘three to four times more antioxidants than goji berries’. Most of these fruits are sold dried or as juice — transporting fresh fruit raises costs. The nutrients will not be damaged if the drying is done carefully, but some, such as cranberries, are sprayed with sugar as part of the process. ACAI JUICE£1.96 for 100mlTHE CLAIMS: The acai berry from the Amazon contains twice the antioxidants as blueberries. THE REALITY:  Regulators have asked firms to stop claiming antioxidants prevent cancer. POMEGRANATE JUICE £1.50 for 100mlTHE CLAIMS: The Middle Eastern fruit has almost three times the antioxidants of green tea.THE REALITY:  In a trial, 45 patients with poor blood flow were given 240ml of pomegranate juice. After three months they were doing better than those on a placebo. CRANBERRIES£1.59 for 100gTHE CLAIMS: Good at fighting urinary tract infections.THE REALITY:  Cranberries need sugar to make them palatable — one glass of Ocean Spray cranberry juice contains 7 tsp. Some say the acid in juice may make cystitis symptoms more painful. GOLDENBERRY £2.99 for 100gTHE CLAIMS: Grown in the Andes, the goldenberry is high in fibre and contains B vitamins, more iron than spinach, more fibre than prunes and more potassium than three bananas.THE REALITY: Good nutritional offering for the price. GOJI BERRIES  £3.20 for 100gTHE CLAIMS: Used by herbalists to protect liver, improve sexual function and promote longevity.THE REALITY: Very high in antioxidants, but benefits are disputed. Sex and age claims have no scientific backing. Most juice versions of superfruits contain extra sugar in the form of concentrated apple or grape juice, which still allows them to claim ‘no added sugar’. Still it seems that if eaten or drunk in moderation, none of the superfruits will do you any harm. But will they do you any good? All the superfruits claim they contain a big dose of vitamin C, but the simple fact is that there are no diseases prevalent in Britain that have anything to do with vitamin C deficiency. Many foods have vitamin C, including bread and jam, because acids containing it are often used as a preservative. The skin of a medium-sized potato will give you 45 per cent of the daily recommended dose. Taking extra vitamin C is not believed to do much good, despite the popular belief that it fends off colds and flu. A review of 30 studies in 2007 concluded that the benefits of taking vitamin C supplements for such illnesses were not worth the expense. Sioned Quirke, a senior dietitian for the NHS in Wales, says: ‘We often find that people who can afford to buy these products are following a healthy, balanced diet and do not need additions. And they are painfully expensive.’ She believes the poor and unhealthy are being taken advantage of, citing one patient spending £75 or more on food supplements in a health shop. These included dried superfruits and juices, which can cost as much as £20 a litre. ‘People are gullible, especially when they are desperate for a miracle cure. These shops prey on them. Some people will be living on crisps for the next week because they can’t afford a proper diet.’ So, is there anything in the superfruit claims? The most interesting evidence is around polyphenols and bioflavonoids, found in large amounts in superfruits. These are forms of antioxidants, as is vitamin C. Oxidation produces harmful agents called free radicals that are blamed for a host of problems, from the formation of cancers to ageing. Half of all Americans are said to take antioxidant supplements. But though millions have been spent over two decades researching antioxidants, the science is still far from convincing. Cancer experiments have shown positive results, but only in lab animals. The most impressive study of berries and disease — carried out by Harvard University on 93,000 women for 18 years — did find that those who ate three portions of strawberries and blueberries a week had 34 per cent less  chance of having a heart attack than those who had one portion a month. Researchers speculated antioxidants in the berries might play a role, but so might lifestyle. Women who rarely eat fruit are also less likely to take exercise. One of Britain’s top toxicologists, Professor David Colquhoun, of University College, London, says that in the case of the antioxidant beta-carotene and vitamin E supplements, studies show these are more likely to raise your risk of dying early. A major review of studies in 2012 concluded there was not enough evidence to support people taking antioxidant supplements. Professor Colquhoun told me he has never read any science on nutrition that has persuaded him to alter his already healthy diet. His stark verdict is: ‘Antioxidants are useless, and some are dangerous.’ Government regulators agree their beneficial effects have not been proved. In Europe and the U.S., food safety agencies have moved to try to limit manufacturers’ claims — though with little effect, as any health food website will show. Shops are more careful — Holland & Barrett, Britain’s largest health chain, stocks 114 products that contain antioxidants. But the store only says these ‘may help’ rather than claiming specific benefits. Some say the best effect of superfruits may take place a long way from the bodies of those who buy them. The fashion for goldenberries, a high-potassium, high-fibre fruit sold in Marks & Spencer, Whole Foods and Holland & Barrett, is bringing employment to poor farmers in the Andes. Growing coca for cocaine is the only other valuable crop. ‘All fruits are superfruits in their own way,’ says Sioned Quirke. ‘None is going to guide you to the Promised Land, but try to meet the five-a-day fruit and veg aim by eating a variety of whole fruits — not just juices, which often are just sugar and flavour — and you’ll begin to optimise your health.’
Superfruits such as acai and pomegranates boast a big dose of vitamin C .
But there are no prevalent illnesses in the UK connected to such deficiency .
Many superfruit juices contain high levels of sugar and other fruit juices .
'Superfruit' cranberry is often coated in sugar to be made palatable .
Believe the hype and they’re the natural solution for everything from cancer, heart disease and dementia to ageing skin, poor eyesight and insomnia. No wonder ‘superfruits’ pop up in cereals, desserts, snack bars, juice, face cream — even designer gin. But though it is claimed that goji berries, acai juice, pomegranates and cranberries are rooted in  ancient medicine, the explosion in their use is, in fact, a modern phenomenon. Sugarfruit: 'Superfruit' cranberry is often coated in sugar to be made palatable and it is also added to cranberry juice . Two out of three juices launched last year claimed to contain superfruit. A major launch in 2011 was Cherrygood — a fruit juice made in part from an imported American cherry supposedly very high in antioxidants. One glass will give ‘the equivalent health benefits of around 20 portions of fruit and vegetables’. Though the company offers no proof of that claim, Cherrygood has been a hit, with all supermarkets and health stores stocking it. But anti-obesity campaigners point out it has as much sugar as cola — about 5 tsp in a 250ml serving. Cherrygood Plus has 9 tsp sugar. Despite doubts around the science, superfruits and their spin-offs keep coming. Last year saw the launch of a ‘supertree’ — the powder of the bark of the African baobab, which you mix into yoghurt or water to get ‘six times more vitamin C than oranges’. Meanwhile, Waitrose is busy pushing yuzu lemonade, from a Japanese citrus fruit that has ‘three times as much vitamin C as lemons’. Some kind of super: Pomegranate juice has been found to help hospital patients with poor bloodflow . Sales are soaring of fibre and potassium-rich goldenberries, a dried version of the South American cape gooseberry. Predicted for success in 2014 is the gac fruit from Vietnam, a spiky orange with flesh that looks like raw meat. It contains lycopene — an antioxidant also found in tomatoes — which is said to combat prostate cancer. Also coming up is the Chilean wineberry, a miniature blueberry from Patagonia, with ‘three to four times more antioxidants than goji berries’. Most of these fruits are sold dried or as juice — transporting fresh fruit raises costs. The nutrients will not be damaged if the drying is done carefully, but some, such as cranberries, are sprayed with sugar as part of the process. ACAI JUICE£1.96 for 100mlTHE CLAIMS: The acai berry from the Amazon contains twice the antioxidants as blueberries. THE REALITY:  Regulators have asked firms to stop claiming antioxidants prevent cancer. POMEGRANATE JUICE £1.50 for 100mlTHE CLAIMS: The Middle Eastern fruit has almost three times the antioxidants of green tea.THE REALITY:  In a trial, 45 patients with poor blood flow were given 240ml of pomegranate juice. After three months they were doing better than those on a placebo. CRANBERRIES£1.59 for 100gTHE CLAIMS: Good at fighting urinary tract infections.THE REALITY:  Cranberries need sugar to make them palatable — one glass of Ocean Spray cranberry juice contains 7 tsp. Some say the acid in juice may make cystitis symptoms more painful. GOLDENBERRY £2.99 for 100gTHE CLAIMS: Grown in the Andes, the goldenberry is high in fibre and contains B vitamins, more iron than spinach, more fibre than prunes and more potassium than three bananas.THE REALITY: Good nutritional offering for the price. GOJI BERRIES  £3.20 for 100gTHE CLAIMS: Used by herbalists to protect liver, improve sexual function and promote longevity.THE REALITY: Very high in antioxidants, but benefits are disputed. Sex and age claims have no scientific backing. Most juice versions of superfruits contain extra sugar in the form of concentrated apple or grape juice, which still allows them to claim ‘no added sugar’. Still it seems that if eaten or drunk in moderation, none of the superfruits will do you any harm. But will they do you any good? All the superfruits claim they contain a big dose of vitamin C, but the simple fact is that there are no diseases prevalent in Britain that have anything to do with vitamin C deficiency. Many foods have vitamin C, including bread and jam, because acids containing it are often used as a preservative. The skin of a medium-sized potato will give you 45 per cent of the daily recommended dose. Taking extra vitamin C is not believed to do much good, despite the popular belief that it fends off colds and flu. A review of 30 studies in 2007 concluded that the benefits of taking vitamin C supplements for such illnesses were not worth the expense. Sioned Quirke, a senior dietitian for the NHS in Wales, says: ‘We often find that people who can afford to buy these products are following a healthy, balanced diet and do not need additions. And they are painfully expensive.’ She believes the poor and unhealthy are being taken advantage of, citing one patient spending £75 or more on food supplements in a health shop. These included dried superfruits and juices, which can cost as much as £20 a litre. ‘People are gullible, especially when they are desperate for a miracle cure. These shops prey on them. Some people will be living on crisps for the next week because they can’t afford a proper diet.’ So, is there anything in the superfruit claims? The most interesting evidence is around polyphenols and bioflavonoids, found in large amounts in superfruits. These are forms of antioxidants, as is vitamin C. Oxidation produces harmful agents called free radicals that are blamed for a host of problems, from the formation of cancers to ageing. Half of all Americans are said to take antioxidant supplements. But though millions have been spent over two decades researching antioxidants, the science is still far from convincing. Cancer experiments have shown positive results, but only in lab animals. The most impressive study of berries and disease — carried out by Harvard University on 93,000 women for 18 years — did find that those who ate three portions of strawberries and blueberries a week had 34 per cent less  chance of having a heart attack than those who had one portion a month. Researchers speculated antioxidants in the berries might play a role, but so might lifestyle. Women who rarely eat fruit are also less likely to take exercise. One of Britain’s top toxicologists, Professor David Colquhoun, of University College, London, says that in the case of the antioxidant beta-carotene and vitamin E supplements, studies show these are more likely to raise your risk of dying early. A major review of studies in 2012 concluded there was not enough evidence to support people taking antioxidant supplements. Professor Colquhoun told me he has never read any science on nutrition that has persuaded him to alter his already healthy diet. His stark verdict is: ‘Antioxidants are useless, and some are dangerous.’ Government regulators agree their beneficial effects have not been proved. In Europe and the U.S., food safety agencies have moved to try to limit manufacturers’ claims — though with little effect, as any health food website will show. Shops are more careful — Holland & Barrett, Britain’s largest health chain, stocks 114 products that contain antioxidants. But the store only says these ‘may help’ rather than claiming specific benefits. Some say the best effect of superfruits may take place a long way from the bodies of those who buy them. The fashion for goldenberries, a high-potassium, high-fibre fruit sold in Marks & Spencer, Whole Foods and Holland & Barrett, is bringing employment to poor farmers in the Andes. Growing coca for cocaine is the only other valuable crop. ‘All fruits are superfruits in their own way,’ says Sioned Quirke. ‘None is going to guide you to the Promised Land, but try to meet the five-a-day fruit and veg aim by eating a variety of whole fruits — not just juices, which often are just sugar and flavour — and you’ll begin to optimise your health.’
phenomenon. Sugarfruit: 'Superfruit' cranberry is often coated in sugar to be made palatable and it they contain a big dose of vitamin C, but the simple fact is that there are no diseases with vitamin C deficiency. Many foods have