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Adding one special ingredient to a morning bowl of cereal just might help you sidestep high blood sugar problems. We're talking about blueberries.
Research suggests that a regular dose of phenolic compounds found in the dark blue fruit may help enhance insulin sensitivity -- the body's ability to draw sugar from the blood and put it to use as energy.
In a study of obese people who had exhibited insulin resistance but not full-blown diabetes, researchers tested the blueberry theory. They had participants drink a daily smoothie that contained dried blueberry extract. After six weeks, the study group demonstrated significantly improved insulin sensitivity compared with a placebo group -- even though neither group lost any weight in the study. And neither group changed their exercise levels or diets, either, helping researchers conclude that it was something in the berries that produced the benefit.
The recent blueberry study is especially good news if you are overweight or obese or have other health-related factors that can boost your risk of insulin resistance, high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes. Blueberries alone won't prevent or lower high blood sugar. You have to adopt other healthful lifestyle habits to do that. But the abundant antioxidant compounds in blueberries may work synergistically to enhance insulin activity and help reduce the risk of diabetes, too. More research using whole blueberries is needed to see if they elicit the same enhanced-insulin response as dried extract, but early animal research with whole berries looks promising.
Research suggests that a regular dose of phenolic compounds found in the dark blue fruit may help enhance insulin sensitivity -- the body's ability to draw sugar from the blood and put it to use as energy.
In a study of obese people who had exhibited insulin resistance but not full-blown diabetes, researchers tested the blueberry theory. They had participants drink a daily smoothie that contained dried blueberry extract. After six weeks, the study group demonstrated significantly improved insulin sensitivity compared with a placebo group -- even though neither group lost any weight in the study. And neither group changed their exercise levels or diets, either, helping researchers conclude that it was something in the berries that produced the benefit.
The recent blueberry study is especially good news if you are overweight or obese or have other health-related factors that can boost your risk of insulin resistance, high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes. Blueberries alone won't prevent or lower high blood sugar. You have to adopt other healthful lifestyle habits to do that. But the abundant antioxidant compounds in blueberries may work synergistically to enhance insulin activity and help reduce the risk of diabetes, too. More research using whole blueberries is needed to see if they elicit the same enhanced-insulin response as dried extract, but early animal research with whole berries looks promising.
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Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.