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Boston -- For the first time ever, consumer demand for blueberries exceeded the supply, thanks in part to Tufts research on the nutritional power of the fruit. According to the Detroit Free Press, blueberry farmers across the nation experienced record consumer demand for their crops -- which totaled 201.4 million pounds this year. "This increase is due in no small part to findings published last September by James A. Joseph and Barbara Shukitt-Hale of the US Agricultural Department's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University," reported the New York Times. The Times also cited a 1996 Tufts study that ranked blueberries No. 1 atop a list of 40 high-antioxidant fruits and vegetables -- believed to mitigate the effects of aging.
While Tufts' research clearly shows the nutritional benefits of blueberries, Joseph warns that the fruits will not offset a poor diet. "There are no magic bullets. The idea is to make blueberries part of a healthy diet."
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Tufts
Research Helps Drive Record Global Blueberry Sales 
"The
research has fueled record consumer demand, not only in the United
States but in Japan, the largest overseas importer of American
blueberries," reported the Detroit Free Press. Last year,
Japan imported 4.9 million pounds of frozen blueberries. 