# Does cooking berries ruin the anti-oxidants? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624 "2024-09-23T18:00:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/1 "2024-09-23T18:00:57Z")
I ate plenty of berries even before I came across, years ago, a quote from nonagenarian zagillionaire Sumner Redstone attributing his health at an advanced age to eating loads of blueberries, something about all the anti-oxidants, so I doubled down on the berry consumption, but lately I’ve been cooking them in a quick and dirty dessert pie. Is there any scientific basis for blueberries being a health food in the first place? And in the second place, if there is, would cooking the berries defeat the purpose? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/2 "2024-09-23T18:51:58Z")
> **[The antioxidant myth: a medical fairy tale](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125631-500-the-antioxidant-myth-a-medical-fairy-tale/)** > > If popping pills to stave off the ravages of ageing sounds too good to be true, that's because it is, says Lisa Melton From 2006. > **[The myth of antioxidants - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23367786/)** > > The myth of antioxidants … 2013. > **[The Myths and Truths about Antioxidants - Consumer Reports](https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/03/antioxidants-more-is-not-always-better/index.htm)** > > More antioxidants is not necessarily better for your health. Find out the truth and myths on antioxidants from your trusted source Consumer Reports. Also 2013. > **[The Antioxidant Myth](https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/diagnosis-diet/201712/the-antioxidant-myth)** > > Don't be fooled by the hype—save your money and your health by getting the facts you need to outsmart the antioxidant hucksters. … 2017. > **[The antioxidant myth](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-antioxidant-myth.html)** > > Dora Il'yasova, associate professor of epidemiology, explains why everything you thought you knew about antioxidants is wrong. … 2018. > **[Antioxidants and health: What does the research say?](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-do-we-really-know-about-antioxidants)** > > This article explains what antioxidants are, how they work, and whether antioxidant supplements offer the health benefits that they claim. … 2021. A quote from this last: > [@](#): > > Although antioxidant-rich foods are extremely nutritious and important for health, taking a very high-dose antioxidant supplement may not suit everyone and may even be harmful to some people. Cooking, not cooking, irrelevant. They are not magic. ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/3 "2024-09-23T19:03:21Z")
ok --they still taste good, though. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/4 "2024-09-23T19:49:29Z")
@Cervaise: I haven’t read through that entire mass of cites. But I’ve checked enough of them to be pretty sure that what they’re saying is that taking antioxident supplements is probably useless; and that declaring any specific food to be magic is nonsense; but that eating a variety of foods that are high in various antioxidants is in fact a good idea. As near as I can tell, the effects of cooking on antioxidants seem to vary depending on what antioxidant and what cooking technique and quite possibly what specific food are being considered. Here, however, is a study on the effects of cooking blueberries, which says that cooking them doesn’t reduce antioxidants: > **[Cooking does not decrease hydrophilic antioxidant capacity of wild blueberries...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19255889/)** > > The present study examined the effects of domestic cooking methods on the hydrophilic antioxidant activity (HAA) of wild blueberries. Baked, microwaved, simmered, and pan-fried frozen wild blueberries, and a thawed uncooked control, were analyzed for... ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/5 "2024-09-23T20:07:30Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > A quote from this last: > > > [@](#): > > > > Although antioxidant-rich foods are extremely nutritious and important for health, taking a very high-dose antioxidant supplement may not suit everyone and may even be harmful to some people. > > Cooking, not cooking, irrelevant. They are not magic. I don’t often do this but “+1”. The only thing I have to add is that although most non-fruit vegetables require cooking to help break them down and make them accessible for human digestion, berries, citrus, and pomes generally don’t require any cooking, and generally when they are cooked it is with added sugar with the attendant nutritional impacts. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/6 "2024-09-23T20:09:05Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > blueberries Antioxidants aside, yes, blueberries are good for you- > **[7 Proven Health Benefits of Blueberries](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-blueberries)** > > Blueberries are highly nutritious and among the world's most powerful sources of antioxidants. Here are 7 evidence-based health benefits of blueberries. Lots of fiber (which is not destroyed by cooking), vitamins (some of which- like C are destroyed by cooking. > **[The Myths and Truths about Antioxidants - Consumer Reports](https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/03/antioxidants-more-is-not-always-better/index.htm)** > > More antioxidants is not necessarily better for your health. Find out the truth and myths on antioxidants from your trusted source Consumer Reports. ### MYTH: You should amp up your intake with supplements. _Focus on food instead. Overall, clinical trials that have examined the disease-fighting capability of specific antioxidant nutrients in supplement form haven’t shown very promising results. One of the exceptions is the Age-Related Eye Disease Study led by the National Eye Institute. It found that a combination of antioxidants and zinc supplements reduced the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration in people who already had an intermediate stage of the disease._ So, CR says Antioxidants _are_ good for you, but the supplements likely are useless. So **Cervaise** ’s many cites do not seem applicable to actually eating blueberries. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/7 "2024-09-23T20:30:37Z")
The point is to eat fresh whole fruit because it’s healthy, full stop. The antioxidant stuff is almost entirely a mirage. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/8 "2024-09-23T20:35:49Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > But I’ve checked enough of them to be pretty sure that what they’re saying is that taking antioxident supplements is probably useless; and that declaring any specific food to be magic is nonsense; but that eating a variety of foods that are high in various antioxidants is in fact a good idea. I agree, the cites address supplements. In fact I searched the term blueberries in one of them and 3 pages of articles came back touting blueberries amongst other whole and unprocessed fruits/veg as a superfood. Makes me wonder what the respondent to the OP was trying to prove about antioxidants in general. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/9 "2024-09-23T20:37:14Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The point is to eat fresh whole fruit because it’s healthy, full stop. The antioxidant stuff is almost entirely a mirage. You own cite disagrees with you. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/10 "2024-09-25T19:21:17Z")
Who added the link to the pit thread? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/11 "2024-09-30T22:20:27Z")
You can answer your own question by following the link. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/12 "2024-09-30T23:34:40Z")
A pit link in FQ is gauche imo ymmv what does it matter and why should anyone care since you asked. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/13 "2024-10-01T01:51:52Z")
You asked who added the link. The answer is to be found by following the link. Whenever anyone, anywhere on this board, links to another post on the board, the linked post gets a little back-link attached to it automatically. So if you click that, you’ll end up on some post in the thread “I pit DrDeth”, and that post will have a link to this thread with someone saying something about this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/14 "2024-10-01T02:16:39Z")
Your own cites say “antioxidant supplements” are overrated, but that antioxidants in food are healthy. This is an oversimplification, but it is different from what you are saying. In general, many natural fruits, seeds, spices, and vegetables are high in polyphenols. These tend to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and sometimes other desirable features. But it depends exactly what you are talking about. These are diverse chemicals and some are more affected by heat and processing than others. Cooking does not necessarily vitiate the health benefits. Words like oxidation and inflammation are often misused by non-scientists and quacks, but they do have medically relevant meanings too. > **[What Do Polyphenols Do for You?](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/polyphenols)** > > Polyphenols are chemical compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Learn how to spot them in your diet and what they do for your body. Blueberries are high in anthocyanins, which have several benefits in many studies, not just the review below. _Epidemiological studies associate regular, moderate intake of blueberries and/or anthocyanins with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, death, and type 2 diabetes, and with improved weight maintenance and neuroprotection. These findings are supported by biomarker-based evidence from human clinical studies. Among the more important healthful aspects of blueberries are their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions and their beneficial effects on vascular and glucoregulatory function. Blueberry phytochemicals may affect gastrointestinal microflora and contribute to host health. These aspects have implications in degenerative diseases and conditions as well as the aging process._ > **[Recent Research on the Health Benefits of Blueberries and Their Anthocyanins...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31329250/)** > > Awareness of the human health benefits of blueberries is underpinned by a growing body of positive scientific evidence from human observational and clinical research, plus mechanistic research using animal and in vitro models. Blueberries contain a... ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/15 "2024-10-01T03:21:35Z")
So benefits from antioxidants in foods are not a mirage, are good for us, and @thorny_locust provided a cite that answers the specific question about cooked blueberries. In that specific case the antioxidants seem to be just fine. AND it likely gets silly to try to micromanage for components. A dietary pattern that _includes_ a decent variety of vegetables and fruits, cooked and uncooked, will have many benefits including, but not limited to, giving us an ample supply of dietary antioxidants. AND stranger’s comment is also valid: the sugar in the OP’s “quick and dirty dessert pie” may be more than offsetting the health benefits of the berries. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/16 "2024-10-01T13:16:03Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > tranger’s comment is also valid: the sugar in the OP’s “quick and dirty dessert pie” may be more than offsetting the health benefits of the berries. Depends a lot on how the pie’s made. I make fruit pies in general with a whole lot of fruit and very little sugar – fill the crust with blueberries (or whatever) dusted with cinnamon, ginger, a little bit of flour, and some but not very much brown sugar; bake till the crust browns. You can make/use a whole wheat crust if you want. Most recipes, IMO, call for a whole lot more sugar than necessary; and often for other ingredients that result in a pie with some fruit but mostly a sweet fruit-colored gel. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/17 "2024-10-01T13:29:10Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Most recipes, IMO, call for a whole lot more sugar than necessary When I make stewed rhubarb, most recipes call for lots of sugar. I use none. The same is true for my rhubarb pie. No sugar. I love it that way, my gf tolerates it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/18 "2024-10-01T22:58:33Z")
You might love it that way, but very few other people would find rhubarb palatable with no added sugar. Now, most other fruits, sure. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/19 "2024-10-02T13:38:18Z")
I’ve gotten my gf to enjoy/accept rhubarb sans sugar, so there are two of us. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2024, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624/20 "2024-10-02T14:01:10Z")
My husband’s uncle’s used to make stewed rhubarb, with no sugar, that my husband enjoyed. That makes 3. (I don’t think Uncle was good about removing the leaves, because my husband needed to pee a LOT after eating that stuff, probably trying to eliminate the oxalic acid.) I usually add between ⅙ and ¼ cup sugar per pound of fruit, unless it’s very sweet fruit. I guess i don’t add all of that, because after adding the sugar, i usually let it sit to draw out juice, and pour off excess juice so my pies are solid, and not gooey. I suppose i discard a little of the sugar. Still, i usually sweeten my pies. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624.md?page=2)