Blueberries and raspberries: what each berry actually brings

The clearest trial result for either berry is small. In a meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials in 632 healthy people, blueberries raised flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how well an artery widens, by 1.11 percentage points (95% CI 0.50 to 1.72), across trials that differed in dose, form and duration. In people who already had cardiometabolic disease, 17 trials of blueberry or cranberry moved systolic pressure by -0.81 mmHg, with an interval from -2.26 to 0.63 that includes no change at all. Raspberries have one meta-analysis of their own, built on few small trials. In it TNF-alpha, an inflammation marker, fell by 3.07 pg/mL and fasting insulin rose by 1.89 uU/mL, while fasting glucose, HbA1c and CRP did not change significantly. On the plate the two fruits differ more than in the trials. Across eight USDA samples each, raw raspberries average 23 mg of vitamin C per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 8 mg in blueberries. Blueberries carry about 9.4 g of fructose plus glucose per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 2.7 g, and the raspberry figure swings widely between samples.

How much is actually in it

• Gram for gram, raw raspberries carry about three times the vitamin C of raw blueberries and roughly twice the potassium and three times the magnesium, by USDA sample means. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of Blueberries, raw and Raspberries, raw, 8 samples each (n = 8 + 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Vitamin C 23.0 mg (range 18.6 to 34.2) vs 8.1 mg (4.3 to 11.1) per 3.5 oz (100 g); potassium 155.8 vs 85.6 mg; magnesium 19.2 vs 6.2 mg; raspberries first
• Blueberries are the sweeter of the two: USDA samples average about 9.4 g of fructose plus glucose per 3.5 oz (100 g) in blueberries against about 2.7 g in raspberries, with no sucrose in either. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of Blueberries, raw and Raspberries, raw, 8 samples each (n = 8 + 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Blueberries fructose 4.94 g (3.92 to 6.9) and glucose 4.42 g (3.38 to 6.39); raspberries fructose 1.68 g (0 to 3.58) and glucose 0.99 g (0 to 3.05); sucrose 0 in both

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey a cup of either berry is counted as 150 g and a single berry as 2 g, so a cup of raspberries gives about 35 mg of vitamin C and a cup of blueberries about 12 mg. — FNDDS portion weights for Blueberries, raw (63203010) and Raspberries, raw (63219000) Evidence E source
  1 cup 150 g, 1 berry 2 g, quantity not specified 75 g for both fruits; vitamin C per cup recalculated from the Foundation Foods means

What your body absorbs

• Only about 1.1% of the anthocyanins in a wild blueberry drink reached plasma as parent compounds in a controlled crossover study, while their breakdown products kept appearing for up to 24 h. — Human subjects given a drink of 0.88 oz (25 g) freeze-dried wild blueberry powder or placebo with a meal, plasma over 24 h Evidence B source
  Bioavailability of anthocyanins 1.1% and of 3-caffeoylquinic acid 0.2%; parent compounds peaked about 2 h, conjugates 2.6 to 8.8 h
• In a crossover RCT in 35 adults, a cup of red raspberries a day for 4 weeks raised gut-derived raspberry metabolites most in people with prediabetes, who started with lower levels. — 35 adults (25 with prediabetes and insulin resistance, 10 healthy), 1 cup red raspberries per day with or without 8 g FOS, 4 weeks each (n = 35) Evidence B source
  123 polyphenol metabolites quantified; urolithins, phenyl-gamma-valerolactones and phenolic acids rose after 4 weeks (p < 0.05)

What cooking and storage change

• Freezing costs berries some vitamin C and little else: the USDA retention table for frozen fruit keeps 70% of vitamin C, 90% of potassium and all of the magnesium and iron. — USDA retention factors for the group Fruits and Fruit Juices, method FRUITS,FROZEN Evidence E source
  Vitamin C 70% retained, potassium 90%, copper 90%, folate 95%, calcium 95%, magnesium, iron and zinc 100% (Retn_Code 156)
• In a crossover RCT in 9 healthy adults, 8.8 oz (250 g) of whole blueberries left 108 urinary metabolite signals higher than the same berries juiced, while juicing raised only 8. — Nine healthy subjects, 250 g fresh blueberries as whole fruit or juiced, sampled 2 h after intake (n = 9) Evidence B source
  108 urinary ions higher after whole fruit vs 8 higher after juice; overall profiles very similar at 2 h
• Baking 5.3 oz (150 g) of blueberries into a protein bar barely changed how much of their polyphenols 18 adults absorbed in a crossover RCT, with similar serum AUC and only the timing of the peak shifting. — 18 adults (mean age 42), one 5.3 oz (150 g) serving of two blueberry varieties or a protein bar with one serving of blueberries, blood and urine over 48 h (n = 18) Evidence B source
  Serum AUC similar across berry treatments; peak of one metabolite 1.24 h later after raw berries than after the bar (Tmax 3.84 vs 2.60 h)

What it does to your health

• In people with cardiometabolic disease, a meta-analysis of 17 trials found blueberry or cranberry intake moved systolic pressure by only -0.81 mmHg, a change indistinguishable from zero. — patients with cardiometabolic diseases in 17 randomized clinical trials (n = 17 trials) Evidence A source
  SBP -0.81 mmHg (95% CI -2.26 to 0.63), DBP -0.15 mmHg (-1.36 to 1.05)
• A 2024 meta-analysis of raspberry RCTs found TNF-alpha fell by 3.07 pg/mL and fasting insulin rose by 1.89 uU/mL, with no effect on fasting glucose, HbA1c or CRP. — adults in randomized controlled trials of raspberry consumption, searched to December 2023 Evidence A source
  TNF-alpha WMD -3.07 pg/mL (95% CI -5.17 to -0.97); insulin WMD +1.89 uU/mL (1.45 to 2.34); fasting glucose, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, CRP, IL-6 not significant

Safety, limits and interactions

• Frozen raspberries were the single most common food behind 152 viral outbreaks linked to fresh produce, at 23.7% of outbreaks, mostly norovirus and hepatitis A. — 152 produce-linked viral outbreaks worldwide reported to 2016 (n = 152 outbreaks) Evidence C source
  Frozen raspberries 23.7% of outbreaks; norovirus 48.7%, hepatitis A virus 46.1% of pathogens
• Blueberry juice did not significantly change blood levels of buspirone or flurbiprofen in healthy volunteers, unlike grapefruit juice, which doubled buspirone exposure. — healthy volunteers taking oral buspirone (CYP3A) or flurbiprofen (CYP2C9) with and without blueberry juice Evidence C source
  Buspirone AUC ratio 1.39 with blueberry juice (not significant) vs 2.12 with grapefruit juice; flurbiprofen ratio 1.03

What people believe that the data does not support

• The European Union did not authorize a label saying blueberries have anti-aging properties and maintain urinary tract and vision health, and it lists no authorized claim for either berry. — European Union food labeling, blueberry juice drink claim Evidence E source
  3 blueberry claims in the register, all non-authorized, 0 authorized; 0 entries for raspberries
• Raspberry ketone pills are a supplement, not the fruit: one case report describes a 32-year-old woman on such a weight loss product with arrhythmia needing 33 shocks. — one 32-year-old woman taking over-the-counter raspberry ketone weight loss supplements (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Resistant polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, 33 defibrillation shocks; no clear cause identified, ketones named as potentially cardiotoxic

Who this works differently for

• In an RCT in 34 pregnant women with obesity, 9.9 oz (280 g) of blueberries plus 12 g of soluble fiber a day for 18 weeks had lower gestational weight gain, 6.8 kg versus 26 lb (12.0 kg) on standard care. The share of the berries versus the fiber is unknown. — 34 pregnant women with obesity recruited before 20 weeks, 280 g whole blueberries and 12 g soluble fiber daily for 18 weeks vs standard care (n = 34) Evidence B source
  Weight gain 15 vs 26 lb (6.8 vs 12.0 kg) (P = 0.001); glucose challenge 100 vs 131 mg/dL (P < 0.05); lipids and birth weight unchanged
• In a double-blind RCT in 61 breastfed infants, up to 10 g a day of blueberry powder from 5 to 12 months lowered serum IL-13, with IL-10 borderline higher. — breastfed US infants, 76 enrolled and 61 completed, freeze-dried blueberry powder up to 10 g/day or placebo from 5 to 12 months (n = 61) Evidence B source
  IL-13 reduced (p = 0.035), IL-10 borderline higher (p = 0.052); symptom trajectories differed (p = 0.05)

What is still unknown

• A 2026 meta-analysis of 14 RCTs in 632 healthy people found blueberries raised flow-mediated dilation by 1.11 percentage points, with no clear effect on blood pressure or cognition. — 14 randomized controlled trials, 632 healthy participants (n = 632) Evidence A source
  FMD +1.11% (95% CI 0.50 to 1.72); SBP -0.11 mmHg (-2.82 to 2.60); executive function SMD 0.21 (-0.05 to 0.46)
• Claims that blueberries heal the gut rest on animal work: a systematic review of 16 studies, all in mice or rats, still reports significant knowledge gaps. — 16 animal studies (mice and rats) published 2011 to 2022 (n = 16 studies) Evidence D source
  Improved intestinal morphology, permeability and microbiota in animals; no human trials included

The bottom line

The US dietary survey counts a cup of either berry as 150 g. By that weight a cup of raspberries gives about 35 mg of vitamin C and a cup of blueberries about 12 mg, figures recalculated from the per 3.5 oz (100 g) means and never measured in a cup. Freezing costs some vitamin C. The USDA retention table for frozen fruit as a group keeps 70 percent of vitamin C and all of the magnesium, a factor set for the whole food group in 1975 that does not cover polyphenols. Little of the berry pigment reaches the blood intact. In a controlled study of a drink made from 0.88 oz (25 g) of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder, 1.1 percent of the anthocyanins appeared in plasma as the original compounds, and their breakdown products kept turning up for 24 hours. Whole fruit left more traces than juice. In 9 healthy adults, 8.8 oz (250 g) of whole blueberries raised 108 urinary metabolite signals above the juiced berries, against 8 the other way, at a single two hour sample. Baking 5.3 oz (150 g) of blueberries into a protein bar left total absorption similar in 18 adults and shifted only the timing of one peak. In 35 adults, a cup of raspberries a day for 4 weeks raised gut-made raspberry metabolites most in the 25 with prediabetes, who started lower. None of these studies measured a health outcome. The real caution is frozen raspberries. They were the single most common food in 152 produce-linked viral outbreaks reported worldwide up to 2016, at 23.7 percent of them, mostly norovirus and hepatitis A. Those are counts of outbreak reports, so they show where these viruses have turned up and cannot say how often one serving makes someone ill. Blueberry juice did not significantly change blood levels of buspirone or flurbiprofen in healthy volunteers in a non-randomized study. This page has no evidence on allergy to either berry, so its absence says nothing either way. Two groups have trials. In a small open-label trial in 34 pregnant women with obesity, 9.9 oz (280 g) of blueberries plus 12 g of soluble fiber a day for 18 weeks went with weight gain of 15 lb (6.8 kg) against 26 lb (12.0 kg) on usual care. With the fiber in the mix, nobody can say how much of that belonged to the berries, and a trial in women followed by a study team is not a plan for managing weight in one's own pregnancy. In 61 breastfed infants given up to 10 g a day of blueberry powder from 5 to 12 months, serum IL-13 fell, in groups that were unbalanced at the start. Raspberry ketone pills are a supplement and tell you nothing about the fruit. One case report describes a 32-year-old woman on such a product who needed 33 shocks to stop an arrhythmia, and no cause was proven. The European Union turned down a label claiming blueberries have anti-aging properties and protect vision and the urinary tract, and it lists no authorized claim for either berry. Gut-healing claims for blueberries rest on 16 studies in mice and rats, and their authors still report significant knowledge gaps.

Sources

1. bbrsp-r1-01 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, dataset
   Raspberries, raw (Foundation Foods, 8 samples): vitamin C 23.04 mg/100 g (range 18.6-34.2), potassium 155.8 mg (134.0-206.0), magnesium 19.15 mg (16.5-24.2); Blueberries, raw (Foundation Foods, 8 samples): vitamin C 8.059 mg/100 g (range 4.295-11.1), potassium 85.64 mg (74.2-109.5), magnesium 6.179 mg (4.99-7.82)
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-03
2. bbrsp-r1-02 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, dataset
   Blueberries, raw (Foundation Foods, 8 samples): fructose 4.939 g/100 g (range 3.92-6.9), glucose 4.417 g (3.38-6.39), sucrose 0.0 g; Raspberries, raw (Foundation Foods, 8 samples): fructose 1.684 g/100 g (range 0.0-3.575), glucose 0.9919 g (0.0-3.045), sucrose 0.0 g
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-03
3. bbrsp-r1-03 · USDA FNDDS portion weights, dataset
   Blueberries, raw (FNDDS 63203010, fdc_id 2709275): 1 berry 2 g; 1 cup 150 g; Quantity not specified 75 g. Raspberries, raw (FNDDS 63219000, fdc_id 2709281): 1 berry 2 g; 1 cup 150 g; Quantity not specified 75 g
   USDA FNDDS (WWEIA), FDC 2709275 and 2709281 · checked 2026-10-03
4. bbrsp-r1-06 · crossover RCT
   Human subjects ingested a WBB beverage (25 g freeze dried WBB powder) or placebo beverage with a meal and plasma was collected over 24 h. ... Bioavailability of WBB anthocyanins and 3-CGA was 1.1 and 0.2%, respectively.
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2017 · checked 2026-10-03
5. bbrsp-r1-08 · crossover RCT
   In a randomized crossover clinical trial, subjects (n = 35: PreDM-IR, n = 25; healthy Reference group, n = 10) consumed 1 cup RRB (fresh weight equivalence) per day and RRB with 8 g FOS per day each for 4 weeks in random order separated by 4-week washout. ... Specific effects of supplementation by metabolic status indicated 4-week RRB supplementation significantly increased microbial metabolites that were lower in PreDM-IR group.
   Molecules, 2020 · checked 2026-10-03
6. bbrsp-r1-04 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:156 FRUITS,FROZEN, group Fruits and Fruit Juices: vitamin_c_mg 70% retained, potassium_mg 90%, copper_mg 90%, calcium_mg 95%, thiamin_mg 95%, folate_total_ug 95%, iron_mg 100%, magnesium_mg 100%, zinc_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 156 · checked 2026-10-03
7. bbrsp-r1-05 · crossover RCT
   Nine healthy subjects consumed 250 g of fresh blueberries either as the whole fruit or after juicing, and provided blood and urine samples before and 2 h after intake in a cross-over design. ... In urinary samples, whole blueberry treatment resulted in 108 ions that were significantly higher compared with juiced treatment (positive and negative mode combined), whereas only eight were significantly higher after juiced treatment.
   Br J Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
8. bbrsp-r1-07 · crossover RCT
   This blinded, randomized, 4-way crossover, controlled trial (n = 18; 42.06 ± 12.53 y; body mass index [BMI] 24.75 ± 2.97 kg/m2) fed 1 serving (150 g) of Elliott and Olympia blueberries and a (poly)phenol-rich protein bar containing 1 serving of Elliott blueberries, compared with a macronutrient-matched control beverage. ... Serum AUC was similar across berry-derived treatments, whereas differences in maximum concentration (Cmax) and time at maximum concentration (Tmax) were observed
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-03
9. bbrsp-r1-10 · meta-analysis
   A total of 17 articles were included, from which two found significant results from blueberry and/or cranberry supplementation in reducing BP. Pooled results revealed statistically non-significant reductions of -0.81 mm Hg for SBP (95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.26, 0.63
   Phytother Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-03
10. bbrsp-r1-11 · meta-analysis
    Raspberry consumption led to a significant increase in insulin concentrations (WMD: 1.89 μU/mL; 95%CI: 1.45, 2.34; P < 0.001) and a significant decrease in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations (WMD: -3.07 pg/mL; 95%CI: -5.17, -0.97; P = 0.004), compared with the control groups. Raspberry consumption did not have a significant effect on fasting blood glucose, insulin, hemoglobin A1C, glucose tolerance tests, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 concentrations.
    Curr Dev Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-10-03
11. bbrsp-r1-12 · systematic review of outbreaks
    One hundred and fifty-two viral outbreaks linked to fresh produce consumption were identified. ... The most common viral pathogens were norovirus (48·7%) and hepatitis A virus (46·1%). The most frequent type of fresh produce involved was frozen raspberries (23·7%).
    J Appl Microbiol, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
12. bbrsp-r1-13 · pharmacokinetic study
    In contrast, the effect of BBJ (GMR = 1.39) was not significant. ... The studies provide no evidence for concern about clinically important pharmacokinetic drug interactions of BBJ with substrate drugs metabolized by CYP3A or CYP2C9.
    Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2013 · checked 2026-10-03
13. bbrsp-r1-16 · regulatory register entry
    POL-HC-7636 Name of Food product: Sqeez Wild Blueberry Juice Drink Description of food in terms of food legislation categories: food not covered by specific food legislation Was food on Irish market before 1st July 2007: Yes Exact wording of claim as it appears on product: Blueberries have a wide range of health benefits including anti-ageing properties and the maintenance of urinary tract and vision health Is claim a picture: No Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7636, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-03
14. bbrsp-r1-17 · case report
    She was shocked a total of 33 times before her arrhythmia was terminated by passing a temporary transvenous pacemaker with overdrive pacing. ... she was found to have recently started taking over-the-counter weight loss supplements containing raspberry ketones which is a potentially cardiotoxic ingredient.
    Cureus, 2022 · checked 2026-10-03
15. bbrsp-r1-14 · RCT
    Maternal weight gain was significantly lower in the dietary intervention than in the control group at the end of the trial (mean ± SD: 6.8 ± 3.2 kg compared with 12.0 ± 4.1 kg, P = 0.001).
    J Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-10-03
16. bbrsp-r1-15 · RCT
    Of the 76 infants enrolled, 61 completed the study (Blueberry: n = 30; Placebo: n = 31). ... Pro-inflammatory serum IL-13 levels were significantly reduced (p = 0.035) and anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels borderline increased (p = 0.052) in the blueberry group.
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-10-03
17. bbrsp-r1-09 · meta-analysis
    Results indicated that blueberry intervention significantly improved flow-mediated dilation (FMD) by 1.11% (95% CI: 0.50, 1.72; I² = 23%), suggesting a positive impact on vascular health.
    Nutr Res, 2026 · checked 2026-10-03
18. bbrsp-r1-18 · systematic review
    The Systematic Review Center for Laboratory Animal Experimentation Risk of Bias (SYRCLE-RoB) tool is used for methodological quality assessments. Sixteen studies included from four countries are reviewed and the results are synthesized narratively. ... However, there are significant knowledge gaps in this field.
    Mol Nutr Food Res, 2023 · checked 2026-10-03