Packed with vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber, blueberries are a nutritional powerhouse. On top of that, they contain potent antioxidants called polyphenols, which are responsible for its color as well as its effects. Evidence suggests that polyphenols found in blueberries can offer a wide range of health benefits.
Combat Obesity and Diabetes
Antioxidants found in blueberries might help fight obesity and lower the risk for diabetes, according to lead author E. Mitchell Seymour and fellow researchers from the University of Michigan. They discovered that rats following a low- or high-fat diet with blueberry beverages for 90 days experienced lower cholesterol, lower triglycerides, less stomach fat and increased insulin sensitivity compared to rats adhering to the same diets without blueberry beverages. The study connected these results to naturally occurring antioxidants found in blueberries, which alter genes related to fat-burning and glucose uptake by cells, according to the Science Daily website.
Improve Cognitive Performance
Researchers from the University of Patras in Greece investigated the effects of polyphenol-rich blueberry extract on cognitive performance and brain antioxidant markers in mice. Subjects were given blueberry extract for seven days and performed learning and memory tests. At the end of the study, which was published in the March 2009 issue of the journal "Behavioral Brain Research," scientists observed that subjects experienced improvements in both learning and memory. On top of that, researchers also found that polyphenols found in blueberry extract raised antioxidant levels in the brain, which might explain the results of the study.
Protect Against Intestinal Inflammation
Polyphenols found in blueberries might counteract intestinal disease such as ulcerative colitis, especially when combined with probotics, according to lead author Camilla Branning and colleagues from the Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden. They discovered that blueberries can alleviate and protect against intestinal inflammation. Moreover, combining blueberries with probotics enhances this protective effect, according to the Science Daily website.
Member Comments