Blueberry and Diabetic

Blueberry Bioactives Have Anti-diabetic Effects

Berries have been shown to have healthful properties, and in particular, blueberries have been reported to have anti-diabetic effects – at least in mice. It is believed that the health-promoting characteristics of blueberries are due to their phenolic bioactive compounds, which have antioxidant properties.

A new study reported in the Journal of Nutrition looked at the effects of daily supplementation with blueberry bioactives on whole-body insulin sensitivity in obese men and women who were insulin resistant, but not diabetic.

The study was designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment. The bioactive supplement was delivered to the subjects as 45g/day of a freeze-dried whole blueberry powder, which contained 1462 mg of total phenolics and 668mg of anthocyanin. This amount of supplement was equivalent to about two cups of fresh blueberries. The supplement or a placebo was added to a smoothie drink consumed at breakfast and dinner for six weeks.

The investigators found that the group receiving the blueberry bioactives had a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity following the six weeks of supplementation compared to the placebo group. The blueberry group had a 22 percent change in insulin sensitivity and the placebo group had a 5 percent change from the beginning to the end of the study. There was no change in body weight in the study participants during the study. Although more research is needed, this study is intriguing because it suggests that increased consumption of blueberry bioactives may have a beneficial effect in subjects at high risk of type 2 diabetes.

Source: Stull AJ et al. 2010. Journal of Nutrition 140:1764-8.

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