Fermented blueberry juice helps with weight loss

Lab animals responded to fermented blueberry juice by showing reduced blood sugar levels which translates into a potential for weight loss and control of diabetes.

A Canadian study has found that enhanced blueberry juice helped manage, and even prevent, obesity and diabetes in mice — a finding researchers are hoping will lead to similar results in humans.

Researchers at the University of Montreal said they’ve discovered that blueberry juice transformed by a bacteria found on the skin of the fruit halted the progression of the two conditions in mice.

Pierre Haddad, a pharmacology professor at the university, said the bacteria quadrupled the amount of antioxidants in the juice – boosting what is already thought to be helpful in protecting the body against certain harmful molecules.

The researchers found the juice reduced blood sugar levels in the rodents, which is critical to the onset of both conditions.

Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jO0v4Mstn0_ASWyhXbxMvKC14TIA

See also:http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Blueberry+juice+fights+Canadian+study/1955061/story.html

Blueberries and diabetes

There is more evidence for the health benefits of blueberries as a result of human trials conducted a the University of P.E.I.

…[Researchers conducted] a pilot study evaluating the effect of blueberry juice on middle-aged, overweight men at moderate risk of cardiovascular disease.The group of 14 men was divided into two. One group was given 250 mL — just over one cup — of wild blueberry juice each day for three weeks while the other group was given a juice-like placebo for three weeks, followed by the reverse treatment.

Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of each treatment period. The results showed a trend toward better insulin sensitivity — good news for people who are pre-diabetic. “As we age, we make less insulin, so we’re more at risk for developing diabetes, and 80% of diabetics will have risk factors for heart attack and stroke,” [researcher] Sweeney-Nixon said.

If we’re more sensitive to the insulin our body produces, it can still do its job even though we produce less with age.

Source:http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theappetizer/archive/2009/06/11/first-human-trials-blueberries-may-help-boost-insulin-sensitivity-and-fight-inflammation-prince-edward-island-researcher-says.aspx