Black Currant Benefits

Nature’s #1 Way to Restore Vision?

black currant benefitsMove over blueberries… because black currants — another variety of small, deeply colored berry — are emerging as a modern-day powerhouse fruit for your health, especially your eyesight.

Black currants contain gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is associated with improvements in skin conditions like eczema, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and strengthening hair.

Plus, with more than three times the vitamin C as oranges and some of the highest antioxidant anthocyanin levels of any fruit, black currants have been found to help prevent joint inflammation and urinary tract infections, lower the risk of heart disease, boost brain and immune function and even slow down aging.[i]

In the image below from The Black Currant Foundation,[ii] which came from a study published in The Journal of Nutrition,[iii] you can see that black currants have higher levels of total antioxidants than many other fruits, including cranberries, blueberries and grapes.

black currant benefitsThis is important because one type of antioxidant they contain, anthocyanins, are responsible for some of black currants’ most striking health benefits (as well as their deep purple color). This includes their powerful role in protecting your vision.

Black Currants May Help You See Better in the Dark

One of the first vision declines that many experience as they hit their 40s and 50s is difficulty seeing in the dark. If you’ve ever been stuck not being able to read the menu in a dimly-lit restaurant, you know what we’re talking about.

When researchers studied the effects of one type of anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), they found people taking it had significant improvements in their ability to see in the darkness.[iv] What made this study especially remarkable, however, was that among those taking a 50-mg dose of black currants, the improvement occurred after just 30 minutes!

You can find C3G in its highest concentration in dark berries like black currants, but this is far from the only vision benefit that these berries offer.

More Black Currant Benefits: Vision-Promoting Properties

The anthocyanins in black currants have been found to increase blood flow to your eyes as well as help prevent oxidation, which is important since your eyes are under constant stress from ultraviolet light, computer screens and other strains, placing them at high risk of oxidative stress. They’re also known to help reduce eye fatigue and increase visual acuity.

Still more research supports the use of black currant anthocyanins for specific eye conditions, such as glaucoma,[v] cataracts and macular degeneration, as well as promoting night vision and possibly helping nearsightedness. As written in TotalHealth Magazine:[vi]

” … these highly colored plant pigments [anthocyanins] nourish the retina. Night vision depends on the retina’s ability to constantly regenerate visual purple (rhodopsin), and anthocyanins serve as “building blocks” for this important substance … When subjects with normal vision supplemented with either black currant or bilberry extract, it was found the acuity of their nighttime vision improved, as did the speed at which they adjusted to darkness and the rate at which they recovered from blinding glare. However, it is important to bear in mind that positive results in trials required the ingestion of 50 mg or more per day of anthocyanins.

… Another area of benefit involves the inducement of short distance vision and/or its aggravation or exacerbation if already present. Continual close range visual tasking, such as extended viewing of computer screens, leads to the development of tension of the ciliary smooth muscle, which impairs the eye’s refractory adjustment function.

One result is axial length elongation, an aspect of myopia or “nearsightedness.” Bilberry extracts may help counter axial length elongation and at least one in vivo test provides evidence black currant is superior to bilberry in this regard. Related to ciliary smooth muscle tension is visual fatigue. As most computer users know well, the fatigue of the eyes can extend to the neck, head, arms, shoulders and lower back. Anthocyanin ingestion may be helpful.”

50 mg of Black Currants Plus 12 Additional Nutrients for Your Eyes …

Much of the research surrounding black currants’ vision benefits suggest that 50 mg appears to be the “magic number” at which the benefits begin. That’s why we’ve included a full 50 mg of black currants — the same dose used in clinical studies — in our Eye Health Essentials Kit.

But that’s not all. Eye Health Essentials is a potent vision-saving supplement that contains 13 clinically backed nutrients, at the maximum dose you need to strengthen your vision. It works by feeding your eyes the nutrients they need for genuine eye health and vision support so you can…

  • Prevent age-related vision problems — and ward off cataracts… glaucoma… and macular degeneration — common to older folks
  • Improve your night vision — and feel at ease behind the wheel once again!
  • Shield your eyes from harmful UV rays — nature’s “internal sunglasses” block eye-killing sunlight!
  • Prevent free radicals from attacking your macula — and protect the area of your retina that helps you read fine print!
  • Boost circulation of healthy blood flow for optimal eye health — and keep blood vessels — even the smallest capillaries in your eyes — supple and full of elasticity
  • And enjoy DECADES of sharp, clear vision — well into your 90s and beyond!

These remarkable nutrients include black currants plus:

  • Lutein and zeaxanthin
  • Bilberry extract
  • Vitamins A, C and E
  • Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
  • Copper
  • Selenium
  • Astaxanthin
  • Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)
  • Grape seed extract

Only the Eye Health Essentials formula gives you these nutrients — at the MAXIMUM dosage required — to experience the same results as clinical studies! Plus, the second part of the kit contains the See Your Way Clearly audio CD to help you relax your eyes, getting a break from the constant stress they’re under and helping you improve your focus, eliminate eyestrain and ease eye fatigue in just 30 minutes a day.

When used together, you’ll nourish your eyes and relax the overworked muscles in your eyes (and your body) — so you can experience healthy vision once again! If you want to protect your eyesight, black currant is a phenomenal start … but when you combine it with the nutrients and relaxation strategies in the Eye Health Essentials Kit, it becomes truly remarkable…

Click Here to Learn More About Eye Health Essentials

Filed Under: Vision
Written By:  Updated:
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Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, MFT

Jesse is the co-founder and visionary CEO of The Healthy Back Institute®, the world-leading source of natural back pain solutions. His mission as a former back pain sufferer is to help others live pain free without surgery and pharmaceuticals.

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2 thoughts on “Black Currant Benefits”

  1. Wanda says:

    Are there any side effects to using the Black Currants? what would the dosage be if I were to use it as a single supplement? I am very much interested in the natural way of treatment but yet do not get much assistance from my physicians, who donot believe in it & in fact slammed the door on me when I said I wasn’t interested in taking their Rx drugs for Hypothyroid or pain med for my Baker’s Cyst. To add to it all no alternative supplement is covered by ins. so the Docs have us by the neck on this especially when my $ resources are pretty much tapped. I am really fed up! There is nowhere to turn. Thanks for listening.

  2. Acushla says:

    I cannot buy Black Currants here in North Brisbane. I can get BC Juice.

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