Nutritional Profile Of Lingonberry & Its 13 Amazing Health Benefits

Lingonberries are small, red colored berries that taste quite similar to cranberries, however they are not as tart. These berries grow on a small evergreen shrub, known as Vaccinium vitis-idaed; that is native to the Scandinavian region of North Europe. Lingonberry is known by various other names, such as red-berry, bearberry, fox-berry, partridgeberry, cowberry, and Alaskan low-bush cranberry.

Lingonberry has a diverse nutritional profile. It is rich in vitamins A and vitamin C, along with fiber, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. It also contains a large number of antioxidants in it.

A 100 gram or 3.5 ounces serving of lingonberry offers you 54 calories or 3% of Daily value, 0.5 grams of total fat, 4 mg of Sodium, 12.2grams of Total carbohydrates, 2.6 grams of dietary fiber, 4.4 gram of sugar, 0.4 gram of protein, 2% daily value of vitamin A, 35% Daily value of Vitamin C, 3% Daily value of calcium, and no cholesterol in it.

You also need to note that lingonberry also contains fructose in it and thus it should be consumed only in moderation as it might be harmful if taken in excess amounts.

Lingonberries have been known to be a superfruit based on their potential health benefits and their nutritional value, such as weight control and also heart health.⁽¹⁾

Lingonberry is rich of antioxidants and several other plant compounds. One 100 grams or ¾ cup serving of lingonberries offer 139% of the RDI or Reference Daily Intake of manganese, that is a mineral known to be a component of one of the major antioxidant enzymes or superoxide dismutase, of your body.⁽²⁾

In addition to this, a serving of lingonberry provide 10% of the RDI for Vitamin E and 12% of the RDI for vitamin C; both of which are also known to function as antioxidants.
Lingonberry is packed with plant compounds, such as anthocyanins and flavonoids.^(3,4,5) The red color of these berries comes from anthocyanins, which might have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.^(6,7,8)

Lingonberries even supply a flavonoid known as quercetin that functions as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. It might help you in reducing your risk of getting heart disease, high blood pressure, and several other health conditions.^(9,10)

Test-tube and various animal studies suggest that lingonberries and their extract might help in controlling blood sugar, which might be partly because of their fiber and polyphenol content. There are preliminary human studies which support these findings.

When healthy normal men consumed sweetened yogurt along with 40 grams of lingonberry powder, their blood sugar and their levels of insulin were the same as when they consumed yogurt without the powdered lingonberry, despite the additional carbohydrates from the berry.⁽¹¹⁾

In the similar way, when healthy women consumed 150 grams of pureed lingonberries with around 35 grams of sugar, their peak insulin after eating was 17% lower as compared to that of a controlled group who consumed the sugar without the berries.⁽¹²⁾

Managing levels of insulin and minimizing insulin spikes can aid in preserving your body’s responsiveness to insulin, reducing your risk of getting obesity and type-2 diabetes.

There are studies which indicate that lingonberry is packed with PAC or proanthocyanidins, which are compounds that might fight inflammation. It is found, the wild Alaskan lowbush cranberry or a type of lingonberry excessively found in the U.S, has been known to have twice the content of PAC than the commercially available cranberry.

Lingonberry is known to promote healthy gut bacteria. When it comes to your health, the gut microbiota or the bacteria and other microorganisms in your digestive tract might be an important factor. It must be noted that what you eat has a great impact on the makeup of your gut microbiota.

Animal studies have suggested that consuming lingonberries might trigger changes in the makeup of your gut microbiota that can aid in protecting against low-grade inflammation.⁽¹³⁾

Chronic inflammation is responsible for many other conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.⁽¹⁴⁾

So, by adding lingonberries to your regular diet might have anti-inflammatory and gut-health enhancing effects; though studies in people are required to confirm these benefits.

Lingonberries are known to help you in weight loss; offering just 54 calories per 100 grams of serving.⁽¹⁵⁾

In a study of 3 months conducted in mice on a high-fat diet, those receiving 20% of their calories from these lingonberries weighted 21% less and had lower body fat than those mice that were eating an equal calorie of high-fat diet without lingonberries.⁽¹⁶⁾

Those mice eating lingonberry maintained their body weight and lean body much better than mice consuming high-fat diets that contained many other berries.⁽¹⁷⁾

A test-tube study suggested that lingonberry might inhibit the action of an enzyme that is required for digestion of fat from food. If you do not digest fat, you won’t obtain the calories.⁽¹⁸⁾ It is essential to have more research in humans to verify the potential effects of lingonberries on weight loss.

What more could be the health benefits of lingonberry? Well, it is believed that many types of berries along with lingonberries might be helpful at promoting heart health. This might be because of their fiber and polyphenol content.⁽¹⁹⁾

Test-tube and animal studies have suggested that these berries might help in relaxing the arteries of your heart so as to support the flow of blood, slow down the progression of atherosclerosis, reduce triglycerides, and to protect heart cells from oxidative damage.

However, it is still required to have more research in humans.

Lingonberry provides lots of plant compounds, fiber, and vitamins that might help in reducing the risk of cancer.⁽²⁰⁾

Test-tube studies show that the extracts from lingonberry might promote the death of human leukemia cancer cells and also inhibit the growth as well as spread of human colon, breast, and cervical cancer cells.

However, further research is required on this.

Light can cause free radical damage in the eyes. Our retina, that converts light into nerve signals, interpreted by the brain as vision, is especially vulnerable to the Ultraviolet A or the UVA light from the Sun and the blue light coming from the smartphones or computers.⁽²¹⁾

It is found from test-tube studies that lingonberry extract might actually protect the cells of retina from free radical damage caused due to UVA and blue light. This is because of the presence of plant compounds, including anthocyanins in lingonberry.

However, it is essential to have further research on this to confirm the eye health benefits of lingonberry.

Lingonberry might be used to reduce urinary tract infections. In a study that was published in the British Journal, researchers have noted that those individual who drank a combination of lingonberry and cranberry juice, experienced a reduced recurrences of UTI.

However, more extensive trials are required to help confirm the ability of lingonberries to solely fight urinary tract infections without the need of cranberries.

It is found from rodent studies that lingonberry or its extract might improve brain function, including your memory under stressful conditions. Test-tube analysis imply that the antioxidants found in lingonberries protect the brain cells.

Lingonberry is also known for its benefits towards kidney health. It was found that feeding rats with 1 ml of lingonberry juice regularly for 3 weeks in a row, prior to kidney injury has protected them from loss of the functioning of kidney. The anthocyanins present in lingonberry juice have reduced the damaging kidney inflammation.

As per some test-tube studies, it is found that lingonberries contain plant compounds that might help in getting rid of bacteria promoting gum diseases and accumulation of plaque on teeth.

Lingonberry is known to eliminate bacteria. Clinical experiments which have been performed on the tannins of lingonberries were discovered to have wonderful antimicrobial properties. Especially, the tannins helped to fight bacterial strains which are related to the oral health.

Lingonberry has got potential health benefits because of its impressive nutrient profile and antioxidant content. With this you might be convinced enough at adding this fruit to your diet. So what are you waiting for? Try adding this berry to your daily diet and experience the wonderful benefits of this excellent fruit.

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