A newly published research study has found including regular servings of blueberries in your diet can have a positive impact on people at risk for Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. 

The study, led by Dr. April Stull and Dr. William T. Cefalu of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, adds new information to the body of research supporting the benefits of eating blueberries.

Published in the October issue of The Journal of Nutrition, Cefalu’s study found daily consumption of blueberries helped people with a high risk for Type 2 diabetes reduce risk.   After drinking two blueberry smoothies a day for six weeks, participants’  insulin sensitivity increased –  a key factor in preventing Type 2 diabetes.  The reduced risk for diabetes was observed in both men and women, according to the study.

“Our data suggested inclusion of blueberries in the diet of our treatment group as compared to a control group had favorable effects on factors  related to the development of diabetes,” said Cefalu, a leading diabetes expert.  “Diabetes is increasingly a concern in our population, and people should take steps to limit their risk.  The evidence continues to grow regarding how effective diet can be in addressing conditions we observe to be present in  pre-diabetetic states.”

That’s not the only study that has recently discovered a health beneft from blueberries.  A team of researchers at Oklahoma State University recently found consuming  blueberries every day  can help reduce some heart risk factors, such as high blood pressure.

Published in the Journal of Nutrition, the study researchers wondered whether eating blueberries — which are very high in dietary antioxidants — would help patients with metabolic syndrome  who were at risk of hypertension

The participants in the study were a group of 66 men and women with pre-hypertension, meaning their blood pressure was elevated. “They were above normal, but not quite at the stage of being diagnosed with hypertension,” said Arpita Basu, an OSU nutritional sciences professor and the lead author.

In the eight-week study, one group of patients drank a beverage made from two cups of blended frozen blueberries once a day — and continued to eat a normal diet. Another group of patients drank an equivalent amount of fluids and ate their standard diet.

After eight weeks, Basu said, researchers saw a seven- to eight-point drop in the systolic blood pressure of patients who had been drinking the blueberry beverage. Additionally, the patients received the benefits of antioxidants in the berries, as well, she said.