5. Blueberries may help to improve cholesterol levels
Blueberry compound may be as effective as medication for reducing cholesterol
A blueberry compound has been shown in a laboratory study to be as effective as a commercial medication for reducing cholesterol without any side effects.
Researchers exposed rat liver cells to 4 compounds found in blueberries of which the antioxidant pterostilbene was found to be the most potent PPAR-alpha cell receptor activator, which subsequently plays a part in the reduction of cholesterol as well as other lipids.
The activity of pterostilbene was similar to that of the commercial medication ciprofibrate, which reduces LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Ciprofibrate can however have side effects which include nausea and muscle pain. Pterostilbene targets a specific receptor and is less likely to have side effects.
Blueberries reduce levels of bad cholesterol in lab animals
According to another study, lab hamsters that consumed blueberry enhanced chow had better cholesterol health in comparison to hamsters whose chow wasn’t blueberry enhanced.1✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
DOI: 10.1021/jf903230s
The hamsters consumed high-fat chow for the study with some of them consuming chow supplemented with blueberry juice byproducts.
All the hamsters that consumed the blueberry-enhanced chow had from 22 to 27% lower total plasma cholesterol compared to hamsters consuming chow that wasn’t blueberry enhanced.
Very low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were approximately 44% lower in the hamsters consuming the blueberry chow.
Image Source – herbazest