(NaturalNews) Two recent studies conducted on animals suggest that eating blueberries may contribute to healthier cholesterol levels and help stave off colon cancer. In the first study, conducted by researchers from the Natural Products Utilization Research Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, hamsters were fed a high-cholesterol diet that either was or was not supplemented with freeze-dried blueberries skins. The hamsters that ate the supplemented diet had LDL ("bad")
cholesterol levels 20 percent lower than the hamsters that ate the blueberry-free
food.
In the second study, scientists at Rutgers University dosed 18
rats with a toxin intended to induce
colon lesions. Half of these rats had a small quantity (40 parts per million) of
pterostilbene -- a compound naturally occurring in
blueberries -- added to their food. The pterostilbene-treated rats developed 57 percent fewer colon lesions than the rats that had not been so treated.
Much
research has been conducted recently on the purported
health benefits of blueberries. The
berries are known to be high in antioxidants and other phytochemicals known to reduce the
risk of some cancers. Laboratory research has supported this hypothesis, as have some animal
studies. In addition, animal studies have suggested that dietary consumption of blueberries helps reduce the risk of urinary tract infections and heart
disease, decrease the damage caused by strokes, and helps to stave off Alzheimer's disease and other age-related conditions.
Pterostilbene in particular is thought to be one of the primary
chemicals that contribute to these effects. Animal studies have linked the chemicals to decreased cognitive impairment due to age, reduction in blood
cholesterol and fat levels, and even reductions in
blood glucose levels.
Non-organically grown blueberries may contain carcinogenic
pesticide residues. The Environmental Working Group recently ranked blueberries at number 31 of 43 fruits and vegetables tested for pesticide residue.
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