Go Wild for Wild Blueberries

Wild blueberries are a rich source of phytochemicals called polyphenols, which have been reported by a growing number of studies to exert a wide array of protective health benefits. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas , from the University of Maine (Maine, USA), and colleagues studied Metabolic Syndrome in a lab animal model.   The team observed that wild blueberry consumption (2 cups per day, human equivalent) for 8 weeks helped to regulate and improve the balance between relaxing and constricting factors in the vascular wall, improving blood flow and blood pressure. Observing that: “[wild blueberry] consumption altered the biomechanical properties of the [animal model]  aorta,” the study authors submit that the data suggests  that regular long-term wild blueberry diets may help improve or prevent pathologies associated with the metabolic syndrome, most notably cardiovascular disease and diabetes