Northern Finland has plentiful and unique natural resources. Midnight sun and arctic weather conditions enrich special compounds in berries and herbs, which have been utilized in the traditional medicine for centuries. However, these plants, compounds and mechanisms remain mostly unexamined. The aim of the present project is to investigate health impacts, particularly anti-inflammatory and metabolic effects, of arctic lingonberry and crowberry. We will focus especially on the low-grade inflammation and altered metabolism associated with obesity and its co-morbidities such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It is known that diet rich in vegetables and berries contains compounds that attenuate the low-grade inflammation and normalize metabolic changes in overweight /obese people. In the present project, we aim to identify such health-promoting compounds in arctic berries. The methods developed and research results obtained in the present project can be exploited in product development in company-initiated projects, and further, in advancing health and well-being locally and globally.
Contact info:
Professor Eeva Moilanen eeva.moilanen(at)tuni.fi
MSc Tiina Tolonen tiina.tolonen(at)oulu.fi