Blueberries have properties that help improve factors related to pre-diabetes and decrease inflammation in obese men and women, as per a research conducted by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC).
Study:
Conducted over a six week period, the study involved 36 obese subjects diagnosed with insulin resistance, but who had no evidence of Type 2 Diabetes. The participants were randomly kept on a blueberry-rich or nutritionally equivalent blueberry-free smoothie for 42 days. The subjects were asked to intake the smoothie twice a day.
Result:
Dr. April Stull, PBRC Researcher, said, "The participants who consumed the blueberry smoothies had improved insulin sensitivity compared to those consuming no blueberries. We now know that compounds in blueberries may help obese, non-diabetic individuals maintain healthy blood glucose levels.”
PBRC is urging additional research to study whether the same effects would be found in people with Type 2 Diabetes.
