Blueberries can help battle obesity

[Naveed Yaseen]

Eating blueberries could help you lose weight, scientists revealed. Already regarded as a ‘superfood’ because of their high vitamin and antioxidant content, the berries may also have the power to trim excess fat from our bodies.

Experts in the US who carried out the latest study into the berries’ health benefits, believe they may change the way the way we processes fat and sugar in our diet.

Their findings were presented to the Experimental Biology convention in New Orleans after tests on obese rats.

Researchers found that if the animals were given meals enriched with blueberries, they lost fat from their stomachs.

Belly fat is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. The rats also showed improved blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol.

Although the tests were carried out on rats, scientists from the University of Michigan hope they have implications for human health.

The results offered ‘tantalising clues’ to the potential of blueberries to reduce cardiovascular disease and Metabolic Syndrome which can lead to heart attacks, diabetes and strokes.

In the tests, researchers used freeze-dried blueberries crushed into a powder. The rats’ food contained just two per cent of the preparation.

Even though the rats belonged to a breed which is prone to obesity, after 90 days they had less abdominal fat than those on a normal feed.

They also showed lower cholesterol and “improved fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity which are measures of how well the body processes glucose for energy,” the team said.

The benefits “were even better when combined with a low-fat diet,” their report added, giving rats lower body weight, less overall fat and healthier livers.

The effect is thought to be due to the high level of phytochemicals — naturally occurring antioxidants — that blueberries contain.

Lead researcher Mitchell Seymour, of the university’s Cardioprotection Research Laboratory, said: “Blueberry intake affected genes related to fat-burning and storage.”

Dr. Steven Bolling, a heart surgeon and head of the laboratory, added: “Our findings in regard to blueberries and the naturally-occurring chemicals they contain, show promise in mitigating health conditions.”

Blueberries are rich in vitamins C and E, as well as other antioxidants such as anthocyanins and phenolics. They help protect the body against degenerative diseases.

Another study recently found that blueberries contained a chemical called pterostilbene which could help prevent colon cancer.

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