Home Ingredients AuroraBlue® (Wild Alaskan Blueberry Complex)
Antioxidant

AuroraBlue® (Wild Alaskan Blueberry Complex)

Vaccinium
Evidence Level
Preliminary
0 Clinical Trials
3 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

AuroraBlue® is a whole-berry complex of wild Alaskan blueberries and bilberries (several Vaccinium species) from Denali BioTechnologies. Published testing has found Alaska's wild berries roughly three to five times higher in laboratory antioxidant capacity than cultivated berries from the lower 48, which is where the antioxidant positioning comes from, though the level varies widely from one harvest site to another and this is a test tube measure rather than a health outcome. No published human trial has tested AuroraBlue itself; the human studies cited here used other blueberry powders and fruit juices.

Studied Dose Commonly a few hundred milligrams of the berry complex per day, which is a label serving rather than a studied dose. No published human study has tested AuroraBlue at any dose, and the wild blueberry powder trial cited here used 26 grams a day, about a hundred times more.
Active Compound Whole-berry complex of several wild Alaskan Vaccinium species rich in anthocyanin antioxidants.

Benefits

Antioxidant support

Wild Alaskan blueberries are extremely high in anthocyanins and show very high antioxidant (ORAC) capacity in laboratory testing, the reason for the antioxidant positioning. ORAC is a test tube chemistry measurement, and the USDA withdrew its own ORAC database in 2012, saying the values have no demonstrated relevance to what bioactive compounds do in the body and are routinely misused in marketing. Read the ORAC figure as laboratory potency, not as a health benefit.

Whole-berry nutrition

The whole berries are dried rather than extracted, which the supplier says keeps the full spectrum of berry flavonoids. This is a composition and processing claim, not a tested health benefit.

Cellular protection

Anthocyanins are studied for their effects on oxidative stress. In the one human anthocyanin trial cited here, blood antioxidant enzyme activity rose but the marker of oxidative damage to DNA did not change, and that trial used a fruit beverage rather than this berry complex, so cellular protection is a laboratory rationale rather than a demonstrated result.

Mechanism of action

1

Anthocyanin antioxidants

The deep blue-purple anthocyanins of the berries scavenge free radicals in laboratory tests. In people, blood levels of intact anthocyanins are very low, so any effect is thought to come from their breakdown products nudging the body's own antioxidant enzymes.

2

Polyphenol diversity

Using several wild Vaccinium species provides a broad mix of berry polyphenols.

Clinical trials

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Generally well-tolerated — adverse effects are uncommon at normal doses.
Mild digestive upset is occasionally reported.
Discontinue if any unusual reaction occurs.

Important Drug interactions

No major drug interactions are established for this ingredient.
Tell your doctor about all supplements if you take prescription medication.
Use caution if pregnant, breastfeeding, or managing a health condition.

More Antioxidant Ingredients

Antioxidant
Green Tea
Green tea extract, derived from Camellia sinensis leaves, is rich in antioxidants like cat…
Antioxidant
Lutein
Lutein is a yellow carotenoid antioxidant that plays a key role in eye health, particularl…
Antioxidant
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a family of fat-soluble antioxidants, the most active being alpha-tocopherol,…
Antioxidant
Selenium
Selenium is an essential trace mineral that the body uses to build antioxidant enzymes (su…

Explore Other Ingredients

Cognitive
L-Theanine
L-Theanine, an amino acid primarily found in green tea (Camellia sinensis), is commonly su…
Sleep Health
Suntheanine®
Suntheanine® is a patented, 100% pure L-isomer theanine produced via an enzymatic process…
Cognitive
Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola rosea is an adaptogenic herb traditionally used in cold northern regions to comba…

Frequently asked questions about AuroraBlue® (Wild Alaskan Blueberry Complex)

What is AuroraBlue?

AuroraBlue® is a whole-berry complex of wild Alaskan blueberries and bilberries (several Vaccinium species) from Denali BioTechnologies. Published testing has found Alaska's wild berries roughly three to five times higher in laboratory antioxidant capacity than cultivated berries from the lower 48, which is where the a…

What is AuroraBlue used for?

AuroraBlue is researched primarily for Antioxidant. Wild Alaskan blueberries are extremely high in anthocyanins and show very high antioxidant (ORAC) capacity in laboratory testing, the reason for the antioxidant positioning.

What is the recommended dosage of AuroraBlue?

The clinically studied dose is Commonly a few hundred milligrams of the berry complex per day, which is a label serving rather than a studied dose. No published human study has tested AuroraBlue at any dose, and the wild blueberry powder trial cited here used 26 grams a day, about a hundred… Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is AuroraBlue safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, AuroraBlue is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Generally well-tolerated — adverse effects are uncommon at normal doses. Mild digestive upset is occasionally reported. It may also interact with some medications. AuroraBlue is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does AuroraBlue interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: No major drug interactions are established for this ingredient. Tell your doctor about all supplements if you take prescription medication. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for AuroraBlue?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for AuroraBlue as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 5 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(5 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Wood E, Hein S, Mesnage R, Fernandes F, Abhayaratne N, Xu Y, Zhang Z, Bell L, Williams C, Rodriguez-Mateos A Wild blueberry (poly)phenols can improve vascular function and cognitive performance in healthy older individuals: a double-blind randomized controlled trial The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2023;117(6):1306-1319. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.03.017.PubMedUsed to support: Human double-blind RCT in 61 healthy older adults given 26 grams a day of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder for 12 weeks, which improved flow-mediated dilation, lowered 24-hour systolic blood pressure and improved two cognitive measures; it did not test AuroraBlue, and it measured vascular and cognitive outcomes rather than antioxidant status, so it is background evidence for wild blueberries (component literature — wild Vaccinium species)
  2. Soveid N, Barkhidarian B, Moradi S, Gholami F, Rasaei N, Himmerich H, Mirzaei K The Potential Effect of Blueberry on Cognitive Health and Mood State based on Human Intervention Studies: Systematic Review and Mini Meta-Analysis CNS & Neurological Disorders Drug Targets. 2023;22(7):1090-1101. doi:10.2174/1871527321666220608085852.PubMedUsed to support: Systematic review and meta-analysis of human intervention studies in which mood state, attention reaction time, attention accuracy and one-back accuracy all showed no significant change, and only two-back working memory accuracy improved. It pooled trials of blueberry products rather than AuroraBlue, its outcomes were cognition and mood rather than antioxidant status, and cognition is not a claim made on this page (component literature — Vaccinium species)
  3. Kuntz S, Kunz C, Herrmann J, Borsch CH, Abel G, Fröhling B, Dietrich H, Rudloff S Anthocyanins from fruit juices improve the antioxidant status of healthy young female volunteers without affecting anti-inflammatory parameters: results from the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over ANTHONIA study The British Journal of Nutrition. 2014;112(6):925-936. doi:10.1017/S0007114514001482.PubMedUsed to support: Human randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial in 30 healthy young women who drank 330 ml a day of an anthocyanin-rich grape and blueberry juice or smoothie for 14 days. Two blood antioxidant enzymes and total antioxidant capacity rose and a marker of oxidative damage to blood fats fell, but as the paper's own title says the anti-inflammatory measures were unaffected, and the marker of oxidative damage to DNA did not change either. It is the closest match to the antioxidant claim here, though it tested a fruit beverage rather than AuroraBlue (component literature — mixed grape and blueberry anthocyanins)
  4. Dinstel RR, Cascio J, Koukel S The antioxidant level of Alaska's wild berries: high, higher and highest. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2013;72..PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory ORAC testing of Alaska wild berries, reporting Alaska wild dwarf blueberry at 85 on the paper's ORAC scale against 30 for cultivated blueberries and 61 for wild blueberries from the lower 48, with all Alaska species tested spanning 19 for watermelon berries to 206 for lingonberries, and stating that the Alaska berries ran 3 to 5 times higher than cultivated berries from the lower 48. It is the source for the laboratory potency claim on this page, but it is test tube chemistry rather than a human trial and it did not test AuroraBlue.
  5. Kellogg J, Wang J, Flint C, et al. Alaskan wild berry resources and human health under the cloud of climate change. J Agric Food Chem. 2010;58(7):3884-900..PubMedUsed to support: The closest published analysis of Alaskan wild berry material: five species profiled, two of them Vaccinium, with wide site to site variation in anthocyanin content from 0.01 to 4.39 mg per gram fresh weight, plus reduced fat accumulation in cultured fat cells and lower blood glucose in mice. It shows how much Alaskan berry potency depends on harvest site, and it is cell and animal work with no human outcomes.