Worried about gaining weight over the holidays? You might want to add some blueberries to your plate. New research shows that eating wild blueberries appears to counteract the negative effects of a high-fat diet, including a marked reduction in blood pressure.
The findings, by the University of Eastern Finland, are among the first to show that bilberries combat hypertension and diet-related inflammatory responses tied to obesity-related disorders, such as heart disease and diabetes.
The study focused on the health effects of bilberries on mice fed high-fat diets for three months. Researchers tracked inflammatory cell and cytokine levels, systolic blood pressure, glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and weight gain.
The results showed mice on the high-fat diet experienced significant weight gain and detrimental changes in glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammation factors, and blood pressure. But bilberries diminished the inflammatory effects of the diet a reduced and prevented elevated blood pressure.
The beneficial health effects of berries are thought to be tied polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, natural compounds in some fruits.
The study was published in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS ONE
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