Metabolic syndrome refers to a constellation of health disorders that are associated with a high risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These disorders include high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, obesity, and diabetes (or “pre-diabetes”).
In the United States, where obesity has become an epidemic, public health experts estimate that as much as 25 percent of the population meets the criteria for metabolic syndrome.
Excessive calorie intake, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity in the abdominal area, genetic factors, and other adverse health risks contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, both prevention and treatment are based upon exercise, a healthy low-fat and low-sugar/low-carb diet, and weight loss.
A new clinical research study suggests that consuming blueberries may also help to reduce some of the adverse health risks associated with metabolic syndrome.
In this study, which appears in The Journal of Nutrition, 48 adults with metabolic syndrome were divided into two groups. The experimental group consumed 50 grams of freeze-dried blueberries per day (equivalent to 350 grams of fresh blueberries), in the form of a beverage, for eight weeks. The control group consumed a placebo beverage that did not contain any blueberries.
Blood pressure checks and multiple blood tests were performed at the start, then at four and eight weeks. The blueberry-consuming patients showed significantly greater decreases in their high blood pressure when compared to the control group. The level of oxidized LDL cholesterol in the blood – a form of the “bad” LDL cholesterol that can directly damage the lining of arteries (atherosclerosis) – was also significantly decreased in the blueberry group.
There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to blood glucose (sugar) levels, triglyceride levels, or the levels of HDL (“good”) or overall LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) in the blood .
Therefore, while a brief period of a diet supplemented with blueberries did not reverse all of the abnormalities associated with metabolic syndrome, it did appear to significantly improve at least two of them (i.e., high blood pressure and blood levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol).
Based upon these intriguing findings, patients with one or more health factors associated with metabolic syndrome might consider adding some blueberries to their daily diet, in addition to the standard treatment for this life-threatening disorder.
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