Blueberries may significantly lower cholesterol and protect the heart, according to Canadian researchers who conducted tests on pigs fed different kinds of blueberry-supplemented diets.
All of the diets reduced overall cholesterol levels, but some were more effective than others, United Press International reported.
"In feeding trials, we found that blueberry supplementation reduced plasma cholesterol levels more effectively when the animals received a mostly plant-based diet than when they received a less heart-healthy diet," lead scientist Wilhelmina Kalt said in a prepared statement. "The soy, oats and barley contained in these diets may have functioned synergistically with the blueberries to beneficially affect plasma lipids."
The greatest reduction in cholesterol levels was seen in pigs fed a two percent blueberry diet. In people, that would be equivalent to about two one-cup servings per day.
The study appears in the British Journal of Nutrition.
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I like it when I find out that something I already love is extra good :)Me too!