Blueberries can improve insulin sensitivity & reduce abdominal fat

Blueberries are a highly nutritious food, packed to the brim with fibre (important for blood sugar regulation as it lowers the glycaemic index of whatever you eat) and antioxidants.

Studies on blueberries have found that they may:

Reverse & prevent the effects of aging
Improve insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation
Lower cholesterol
Lower blood pressure
Decrease abdominal fat
Lower triglycerides
Prevent urinary tract infections, in the same manner as cranberries do
Prevent cancer
Prevent heart disease
Improve motor behavioural learning, co-ordination, balance & memory
Reduce the chance of developing Alzheimers disease in those predisposed
Inhibit mutagenesis (cancer) in breast and cervical tissue in vitro
Reduce the risk of death from cancers of the breast, endometrium and prostate in conjunction with a high fibre, low fat diet.
Decrease oxidative stress in 2 regions of the brain
Result in better retention of signal-transmitting neurons in the brain
Reduce ischaemic brain damage after a stroke
Positively affect genes related to fat-burning and storage and glucose uptake in muscle tissue
Reduce a protein transcription factor associated with aging and oxidative stress

Blueberries are one of the most highly antioxidant foods you can eat, due to their anthocyanin content, a powerful antioxidant which gives dark red/blue fruits and vegetables their colour. When blueberries were tested alongside 40 other fruits and vegetables in a study designed to identify and quantify the antioxidant capacity of foods, blueberries ranked number one, well ahead of blackberries, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, oranges, apples & bananas with an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) of 25, as opposed to only 20 for its nearest competitor, the blackberry.

As central obesity, or abdominal adiposity is strongly associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome, increasing the amount of blueberries in your diet may be very beneficial, in addition to a healthy diet and regular exercise program, in reducing weight, especially around the middle. The amounts used in the study by the Cardioprotection Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan was equal to 2% of the diets over a 3 month period. You may need to rely on frozen blueberries for much of the year to achieve this, but as medicine goes, this has to be one of the tastiest!

Just a final note of caution: dont eat your blueberries with dairy products. When the two foods are eaten together, the casein in milk appears to block the antioxidant potential of fruits, vegetables, grains and even tea! Sad news I know, but when you are taking Hippocrates advice to let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food it is worth considering.

More Information:

http://mypcos.info/1/news-research/blueberries/

http://www.blueberry.org

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/cardiac.phytomed/publications

Oxidative stress protection and vulnerability in aging: putative nutritional implications for intervention.

Joseph JA, Denisova NA, Bielinski D, Fisher DR, Shukitt-Hale B.

Mech Ageing Dev. 2000 Jul 31;116(2-3):141-53. Review. A fat burning overview can help you construct a clear outline of what you need to focus on to carry out your fat burning goal if you're a beginner; or serve as a reminder for the ones who are at an intermediate or more boost phase of their losing weight plan. Applying are seven steps that can serve as methods for your personal weight loss program. The first thing that one must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not exactly the same thing. Many weight loss programs have tricked people into wondering that it is the same, but most diets and weight loss programs only work by leading to a person's body to eliminate more muscle flesh and water than actual body fat, more help please visit The Fat Loss Factor. PMID: 10996014

Diets containing blueberry extract lower blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats.

Shaughnessy KS, Boswall IA, Scanlan AP, Gottschall-Pass KT, Sweeney MI.

Nutr Res. 2009 Feb;29(2):130-8. PMID: 19285604

Addition of milk prevents vascular protective effects of tea.

Lorenz M, Jochmann N, von Krosigk A, Martus P, Baumann G, Stangl K, Stangl V.

Eur Heart J. 2007 Jan;28(2):219-23. Epub 2007 Jan 9.

PMID:: 17213230

Want to read more articles like this?

If you have enjoyed this article and would like to keep up to date with the latest information on health, nutrition, low-carbohydrate lifestyle & polycystic ovarian syndrome, please subscribe to my articles by clicking the subscribe button at the top of this article.

You can also find more information on PCOS at www.mypcos.info

This article was originally published at My PCOS Info. Further references and links to the studies mentioned can be found there.

Abdominal obesity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_obesity
Abdominal obesity, also known as belly fat or clinically as central obesity, is excessive abdominal fat around the stomach and abdomen. It can also occur in both ...
The Diabetes-Belly Fat Connection - Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
www.everydayhealth.com/.../diabetes-belly-fat-connection.aspx
Diet and exercise can reduce excess belly fat and prevent prediabetes.
Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes - National Diabetes
diabetes.niddk.nih.gov Diabetes A-Z List of Topics and Titles
Jan 22, 2013 Defines insulin resistance and prediabetes and describes diagnosis. Lists ways to treat these conditions to help avoid developing diabetes.
Top 10 health benefits of Blueberries - Women Fitness: An ...
www.womenfitness.net/blueberries.htm
Top 10 health benefits of Blueberries A new University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors ...
Insulin resistance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance
Insulin resistance (IR) is a physiological condition in which cells fail to respond to the normal actions of the hormone insulin. The body produces insulin, but the ...
Insulin resistance - Progesterone
www.progesteronetherapy.com/insulin-resistance.html
Insulin resistance (IR) is defined as the inability to activate receptor sites on cells to receive glucose. In other words the cells are not responding to the message ...
Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance
www.naturalchoicesforyou.com/page/219656
Metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance is a common problem that leads to blood sugar imbalances, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and coronary artery disease.
Reduce Belly Fat LIVESTRONG.COM
www.livestrong.com Weight Management Get Rid of Fat
Improve your health, lifestyle, diet nutrition with Reduce Belly Fat news, facts, tips, other information. Educate yourself about Reduce Belly Fat help yourself and ...
Does Eating a Low Carb Diet Cause Insulin Resistance? Mark's ...
www.marksdailyapple.com/does-eating-low-carb-cause-insulin-resistance
Dear Mark: Does Eating a Low Carb Diet Cause Insulin Resistance? Despite all the success you might have had with the Primal way of life, doubts can still nag at you.
Insulin Resistance Syndrom - natural healing naturopathic ...
www.heartlandnaturopathic.com/irsyndrom.htm
Return to the Nutrition main page. ONE IN FOUR AMERICANS HAS INSULIN RESISTANCE; Hypoglycemia, Type II Diabetes, Heart Disease and Diet . THE