Trail runners looking to shave minutes off their times might want to take a detour through the produce aisle, according to: “UFV researchers find blueberries may help trail runners pick up the pace.” Researchers recently recruited nine recreational trail runners to test freeze-dried blueberry powder against a placebo. After taking one of the treatments three times daily for seven days, each runner tackled a challenging 22.2-kilometer simulated race. They later switched treatments and repeated the course. With the blueberry supplement, runners finished about seven and a half minutes faster, without reporting greater effort or showing additional physiological strain. Their post-race jump heights also held up better, suggesting a possible recovery benefit. It’s intriguing, although the small study was funded by the US Highbush Blueberry Council, and the researchers’ earlier lab studies found no benefit – so consider this one perspective, not rigorous proof. If you’re adding blueberries to your grocery list, frozen ones deserve a look. “New Research Reveals Frozen Blueberries Contain More Antioxidants Than Fresh, Doctor Breaks It Down” reports that freezing can preserve anthocyanins, and ice crystals may make those antioxidants easier to extract by breaking down cell walls. That doesn’t necessarily mean every frozen berry beats a fresh one, particularly after prolonged storage. And as we pointed out in “Blueberries have company in the antioxidant aisle,” blackberries, black currants, cherries, elderberries, and black rice offer anthocyanins too. We wouldn’t count on any single fruit to take seven minutes off your next trail race, but a varied cart seems like a sensible place to start.

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