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(NaturalNews) Blueberries are not only delicious, but also very high in fiber and nutrients. They have been proven to lower blood pressure, protect against oxidative stress and now a recent study shows that blueberries might help you lose that hard to get rid of abdominal fat.

A new study published in Experimental Biology 2009 found that blueberries may change how the body stores and uses glucose (sugar) for energy. This study was led by researcher E. Mitchell Seymour, MS, of the University of Michigan`s Cardioprotection Research Laboratory in the United States. The study was performed on laboratory rats. While the findings suggest that blueberries may be protective against two common health conditions, more research should be done on human participants. The researchers used freeze dried blueberries which were then crushed into a fine powder, and mixed into the rats` diet. They performed many different comparisons among the rats consuming different diets, ranging from high-fat, low-fat to the control rats. The rats in the study were from a special research breed that is prone to severe overweight. Belly fat is considered to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The researchers found that the rats that ate a diet with blueberries received several health benefits, such as lowered cholesterol, decreased abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, improved glucose control and insulin sensitivity.

"We found that by looking at fat muscle tissue, blueberry intake affected genes related to fat-burning and storage. Looking at muscle tissue, we saw altered genes related to glucose uptake." Steven Bolling, M.D., and a University of Michigan surgeon says "The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables has been well-researched, but our findings in regard to blueberries shows the naturally occurring chemicals they contain, such as anthocyanins, show promise in mitigating these health conditions."

Summary
Blueberries are showing more and more promise in how healthy they are for us. They not only contain antioxidants that are thought to help our bodies fight free radicals, but they also contain vitamins and a lot of fiber. According to the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Other studies on rats have found that blueberries slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity and improved motor behavioral learning and memory. Everyone can add more blueberries to their diet, and the good news is that it is simple, mainly because they taste so good. Make a blueberry smoothie, eat your yoghurt with blueberries or just throw some blueberries in your cereal, that's how easy it is!

Sources:
http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/medi...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.blueberry.org/health.htm

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