A daily smoothie containing bioactive ingredients from blueberry increased sensitivity to insulin
By Stephen Daniells
A daily smoothie containing bioactive ingredients from blueberry increased sensitivity to insulin, and may reduce the risk of developing diabetes in at-risk people, says a new study.
Obese, non-diabetic, and insulin-resistant participants who consumed a blueberry smoothie daily for six weeks experienced a 22 percent change in insulin sensitivity, compared to only 4.9 percent in the placebo group, state findings published in the Journal of Nutrition.
“To our knowledge, this is the first reported human study that evaluated the effect of daily dietary supplementation with bioactives in blueberries on whole-body insulin sensitivity in obese, non-diabetic, and insulin-resistant men and women,” wrote the researchers, led by Professor William Cefalu at the Center for the Study of Botanicals and Metabolic Syndrome, Louisiana State University System.
“The uniqueness of this study relates to the design, which was randomized, double blinded, and placebo controlled. By design, the blueberry and placebo smoothies were identical in physical appearance and macronutrient content with the exception of adding the blueberry bioactives to the blueberry smoothie.
The major finding was that daily consumption of whole blueberry bioactives for 6 wk improved insulin sensitivity in a population at high risk for type-2 diabetes compared with ad libitum dietary intake alone,” they added.
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