A study led by the University of East Anglia says that eating 150 grams of blueberries daily could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 15%.
Eating a cup of blueberries everyday may be good for the heart and can reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
A study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last year, found that eating 150 grams of blueberries daily could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 15%. Researchers believe that including blueberries and other berries in your diet helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially among at risk groups, the university said in a statement.
How blueberries reduce the risk of Cardiovascular Disease
“We found that eating one cup of blueberries per day resulted in sustained improvements in vascular function and arterial stiffness – making enough of a difference to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by between 12 and 15%,” said Dr. Peter Curtis of UEA’s Norwich Medical School, who co-led the study.
“We found that eating one cup of blueberries per day resulted in sustained improvements in vascular function and arterial stiffness – making enough of a difference to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by between 12 and 15%,” said Dr. Peter Curtis of UEA’s Norwich Medical School, who co-led the study.
Metabolic Syndrome and Heart Health
The university said that the study, which was done in collaboration with researchers from Harvard and others, examined the impact of eating blueberries on Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). MetS is a group of risk factors that increase the risk for heart disease and other health problems. It comprises at least three of the following risk factors: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, low levels of ‘good cholesterol’ and high levels of triglycerides.
“Having Metabolic syndrome significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes and often statins and other medications are prescribed to help control this risk. It’s widely recognised that lifestyle changes, including making simple changes to food choices, can also help,” said Aedin Cassidy, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School.
“Having Metabolic syndrome significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes and often statins and other medications are prescribed to help control this risk. It’s widely recognised that lifestyle changes, including making simple changes to food choices, can also help,” said Aedin Cassidy, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School.
Cassidy added that there have been previous studies that have suggested that those who ate blueberries regularly had a reduced risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. “This may be because blueberries are high in naturally occurring compounds called anthocyanins, which are the flavonoids responsible for the red and blue colour in fruits,” he said.
The six-month study, which included 138 overweight people with Metabolic Syndrome between the ages of 50 and 75, was the longest trial of its kind. The participants were randomly divided into three groups, one consumed one cup or 150 grams each of freeze-dried powdered blueberries a day, the second consumed half a cup or 75 grams, while the third was a control group, which was given a purple-coloured alternative made of artificial colours and flavourings.
They didn’t find any benefit of a 75 gram daily intake of blueberries in the at-risk group, implying that a higher intake may be needed for heart health benefits in obese, at-risk populations, according to the researchers.
They didn’t find any benefit of a 75 gram daily intake of blueberries in the at-risk group, implying that a higher intake may be needed for heart health benefits in obese, at-risk populations, according to the researchers.
The people in the study, however, were predominantly white and those with confirmed MetS (at screening) were predominantly men. Therefore, it reduced the study’s ability to establish whether these data translate to other ethnicities and if gender disparities exist.
It is to be noted that the study was supported by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) with oversight from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, UK). The funders of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report, it said.
Source:
- Blueberries improve biomarkers of cardiometabolic function in participants with metabolic syndrome—results from a 6-month, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Peter J Curtis, Vera van der Velpen, Lindsey Berends, Amy Jennings, Martin Feelisch, A Margot Umpleby, Mark Evans, Bernadette O Fernandez, Mia S Meiss, Magdalena Minnion, John Potter, Anne-Marie Minihane, Colin D Kay, Eric B Rimm, Aedín Cassidy.
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