You’ve most likely heard about the potential benefits of grapefruit, oranges, and bananas, but blueberries? Yes – you heard right, researchers are conducting further studies to confirm whether or not blueberries aid weight loss efforts. Read on to hear what the most recent studies are saying with respect to this tiny blue fruit.
According to an article published on WebMD in April 2009, researchers believe that eating a diet high in blueberries may in fact help people reduce the amount of stomach fat they retain. With research still in the preliminary stages and only a few studies completed thus far on this fruit, we caution you from storming your local fruit store for crates of blueberries, but the initial results from where we stand appear promising.
One documented study involved the use of rats raised to be overweight on a high or low fat diet. One group was fed 2% of dried blueberry powder and another group fed 2% carbs as part of their overall dietary intake. The rats that had consumed the blueberry powder were found to have less stomach fat after 3 months, with the best fat loss results noted among the rats on the low fat diet.
It’s believed that the anti-oxidants in blueberries may not only lower cholesterol, but somehow affect how the body metabolizes sugar, making the body process sugar more efficiently and improve the body’s control of insulin in a more positive manner. If these findings are found to be supported later on blueberries may prove to have a positive impact not only for dieters looking to lose body fat but for people with certain heart and diabetes risks.
The studies have had to be confirmed in people in larger studies on a broader scale. But what can you do if you would like to test the blueberry effect? Make blueberries 2% of your daily dietary intake, which for a person on a 1000 calorie diet would be about a 1/4 cup of blueberries, which comes to about 20 calories. You can also substitute blueberry juice as well.
Incorporating more fruits into your diet can never hurt when it’s part of a sensible and well-rounded diet that meets your body’s particular needs. Our bodies are machines requiring various nutrients on a daily basis. The trick is finding the right combination of foods and liquids that meets our needs and makes us feel good – not guilty!
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