Blueberries & Avocados as a Cure for Hepatitis C

In the last decade, encouraging news emerged about blueberry and avocado plants as possible treatments for Hepatitis C. Specifically, clinical trials showed that avocados help protect the liver from Hepatitis C, while blueberry leaves prevent the virus from replicating itself in the bloodstream. People infected with the disease may not actually show ill effects for decades. Therefore, taking dietary supplements after being put at risk could limit the damage that Hepatitis C can impose.

Dangers of Hepatitis C

• The latest cures for Hepatitis C may lie in the farmers' markets rather than the chemistry lab.

  Physicians consider Hepatitis C to be a particularly damaging disease. Not only can it cause severe scarring to the liver, but it may also spawn serious secondary diseases such as liver cancer and diabetes. The sharing of dirty needles---as with illegal drug use or improperly sanitized tattoo or body piercing equipment---has been identified as a major cause of the virus. Other risk factors include getting a blood transfusion prior to 1992 and, for health care workers, being exposed to infected blood.

Blueberry Research

• Blueberry leaves contain a different antioxidant than those found in the berries.

  Researchers in Japan isolated the antioxidant proanthocyanidin as an especially potent weapon against the Hepatitis C virus. Their 2009 findings, published in the Journal of Biochemistry, indicated that proanthocyanidin helps block the replication of the Hepatitis C virus. Of the more than 300 plants the researchers studied, blueberry leaf yielded the highest concentration of proanthocyanidin. The extract, if proved effective in human trials, could potentially replace the pharmaceuticals sometimes linked to serious side effects.

Avocado Research

• Avocados may provide significant protection for the liver .

  In the avocado studies, also conducted in Japan, avocados and 21 other fruits were tested on rats infected with a liver-damaging toxin. Of the 22 fruits, avocado protected the rats from liver damage at a significantly higher rate. The researchers, who presented their findings during the 2000 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, noted that studies on human subjects will determine the fruit's true effectiveness in fighting Hepatitis C. Future trials will also determine necessary dosage levels, as well as whether simply adding avocados to the diet will be enough to stop liver damage, or if capsules with a high dosage of avocado extract would be more effective.

Cautions

• The Mayo Clinic and other leading institutions do not currently recommend either blueberry leaf extract or avocado as a valid Hepatitis C treatment. No definitive studies on humans with the virus have yet been completed. Of other herbal or plant-based treatments, only milk thistle currently gets a lukewarm "mixed results" from the Mayo Clinic. Overall, patients who have, or suspect they have, Hepatitis C are urged to eat a diet rich it fruits and vegetables in order to maintain a healthy immune system.

Other Health Benefits

• While scientists continue to research blueberries and avocados as Hepatitis C treatments, each day seems to bring more good news about their overall positive impact on health. Blueberries themselves are powerful antioxidants, while marketers of the leaf extract tout its effectiveness in fighting bacteria related to herpes simplex and E. coli. Avocados are rich in protein, amino acids and "good" fats.