Do blueberries banish belly fat?

You bet, says researcher E. Mitchell Seymour, MS, of the University of Michigan. His new study shows rats that ate a diet high in blueberries lost abdominal fat – the kind linked to increasing waist size, risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Amazingly, this happened even when the rats ate a high-fat diet. As an added bonus, the blueberry eating rats also had improved glucose control – meaning their blood sugar was more stable!

Not surprisingly, researchers also suggest that blueberries may somehow alter the way the body stores and processes sugar – great news for those with a tricky metabolism.

The research was presented at Experimental Biology 2009. The experiments included feeding obese rats either with a low-fat or a high-carb diet both enriched with whole blueberry powder.

After three months, the rats in both eating groups that were fed the blueberries had improved glucose control and improved insulin sensitivity. These factors are both strongly related to lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Blueberries are exceptionally easy to incorporate into your diet. Readily available while in season, you can also get them frozen. Put on cereal, eat with yogurt, flavor a protein shake – the possibilities are endless. It’s the ultimate “anti-aging” treat!