ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Following a blueberry-enriched diet can reduce abdominal fat and lower the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes according to a new study at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.
The new research, presented at the Experimental Biology convention in New Orleans, provides clues to the potential of blueberries in reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The effect is thought to be due to the high level of phytochemicals that blueberries contain.
Researchers studied the effect of blueberries (freeze dried blueberries crushed into a powder) that were mixed into the rat diet, as part of either a low- or high-fat diet. They performed many comparisons between the rats consuming the test diets and the control rats receiving no blueberry powder. All the rats were from a research breed that is prone to being severely overweight.
In all, after 90 days, the rats that received the blueberry-enriched powder, measured as 2 percent of their diet, had less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol, and improved fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity, which are measures of how well the body processes glucose for energy.
In addition to all the other health benefits, the group that consumed a low-fat diet had lower body weight, lower total fat mass and reduced liver mass, than those who ate a high-fat diet. An enlarged liver is linked to obesity and insulin resistance.
