11/03/1910 Blueberries may help fight atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, according to results of a preliminary study conducted by scientists funded by the Service Agricultural Research Service (ARS). This study provides the first direct evidence that blueberries may help prevent increases in the size of harmful lesions, which are a symptom of atherosclerosis within the arteries.
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Principal Investigator Xianli Wu, who works at the Children's Nutrition Center of the ARS Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas, and also with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, led the research. The findings are published in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition "(Journal of Nutrition).
Atherosclerosis is the main cause of two forms of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Americans.
The study compared the size of lesions caused by atherosclerosis in 30 young mice. Half the animals were fed for 20 weeks with a diet supplemented with freeze-dried powder and blueberries. The other mice were not dust the berries.
The researchers measured the size of lesions at two sites in the aortas, which are arteries of the heart. The size of the lesions in the mice that ate the dust Blueberry was 39 percent and 58 percent the size of the lesions in the mice that consumed the berry powder.
results of previous studies conducted elsewhere have suggested that eating blueberries may help fight cardiovascular disease. But there was no direct evidence to that effect before, according to Wu.
mice's diet contained 1 percent of the dust of blueberries, an amount that is equivalent to half a cup of fresh berries.
All mice in the investigation had a deficiency of apolipoprotein E. This feature increases the propensity of animals to training of injuries caused by atherosclerosis, making them an excellent model for biomedical research and nutrition.
The Wu-led group wants to identify the mechanisms that facilitate the ability of blueberries to control the size of the lesions. For example, blueberries may reduce oxidative stress, which is a risk factor for atherosclerosis, by increasing the activity of four antioxidant enzymes.
In future studies, the group led by Wu will want to determine whether consumption of blueberries in infancy, childhood and young adulthood may help protect against the onset and progression of atherosclerosis later in life. Early prevention may be especially important given the epidemic of obesity in U.S. children. Overweight and obesity increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
ARS, which is the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA for its acronym in English), directs the Center for Arkansas Children's Nutrition in collaboration with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Hospital, all in Little Rock. These investigations with blueberries USDA priority support to help improve nutrition and health of children.
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