Blueberries Reduce Fat Cell Development

WASHINGTONIncorporating a handful of blueberries in a daily diet may help combat obesity by reducing the amount of fat cells in the body by nearly 75 percent, according to new research presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting on April 10.

Researchers at Texas Womans University evaluated whether blueberry polyphenols play a role in adipocyte differentiation, the process in which a relatively unspecialized cell acquires specialized features of an adipocyte, an animal connective tissue cell specialized for the synthesis and storage of fat. They tested the effects of polyphenols on mice and found the highest dose of polyphenols reduced the  number of fat cells by 73 percent, while the smallest dose showed a 27-percent decrease.

We still need to test this dose in humans, to make sure there are no adverse effects and to see if the doses are effective. The promise is there for blueberries to help reduce fat tissue from forming in the body," the researchers said.

The preliminary results contribute more items to the laundry list of benefits related to blueberries, which have been shown to mitigate health conditions like cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.