In a new study, researchers found eating black raspberries might reduce inflammation associated with skin allergies.
They found that a diet high in black raspberries reduced inflammation from contact hypersensitivity—a condition that causes redness and inflammation in the skin.
The research was conducted by a team at Ohio State University.
The researchers put a group of mice on a diet that incorporated black raspberries—equivalent to a single serving per day for humans.
They also kept a control group, where mice were fed the same diet, but without black raspberries.
Three weeks after the diets began, the researchers exposed one of each mouse’s ears to irritants that caused contact hypersensitivity. Then, they measured the reductions in swelling, comparing the ears of each mouse.
They found that in mice fed a diet that included black raspberries, the swelling went down compared to the mice that did not eat black raspberries.
The researchers found that the black raspberries appear to modulate dendritic cells, which act as messengers to the body’s immune system, telling the immune system to kick in or not—essentially whether to create inflammation or not.
The team has been studying the effects of black raspberries on inflammation for years. A diet rich in black raspberries has shown promise in reducing inflammation associated with some types of cancer.
This study is an early indication that those benefits might exist. The team noted that more work needs to be done to determine what specific properties of black raspberries lead to a decrease in inflammation.
One author of the study is Steve Oghumu, an assistant professor of pathology.
The study is published in Nutrients.
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