Blueberries help protect the brain, but the fruit may also have a heart protective effect by significantly lowering cholesterol, Canadian researchers say.Lead scientist Wilhelmina Kalt of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada conducted tests on pigs fed a blueberry-supplemented diet. Blueberry-supplemented diets resulted in a reduction in total cholesterol including both low-density lipoprotein, or LDL the bad cholesterol and high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, the good cholesterol, Kalt said.
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, Kalt said in a statement. The soy, oats and barley contained in these diets may have functioned synergistically with the blueberries to beneficially affect plasma lipids.
The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that the greatest reduction in total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels was found in pigs fed a 2 percent blueberry diet equivalent to approximately 2 one-cup servings of blueberries in the human diet.
Pigs have levels of LDL similar to humans and are susceptible to diet-induced vascular disease, develop atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta and carotid artery and have a similar blood pressure and heart rate as humans, Kalt said.
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So – does that mean we should be eating 2 cups of blueberries a day? I’ve been eating a cup a day to try to keep my brain going, but I also want to keep my cholesterol in normal limits. Flipside – they’re expensive!
Dr. Amen: Bueberries are now being called brain berries, because of their neuro-protective effects. A great book on improving nutrition for your brain (for lifelong brain health and avoidance of dementia) is The Brain Trust Program by neurosurgeon Larry McCleary, M.D. Dr. McCleary provides reserach findings and advice in the areas of nutrition, supplements, mental exercise and physical exercise to keep your brain operating at peak efficiency. Check it out. Harvey Hyman
I don’t like that the blueberries lowered the hdl levels. High hdl is the good cholesterol,and you don’t want to reduce that!!! Linda
I love blueberries and I eat them often; however; I now have a concern. If they lower HDL as well, that’s a problem for me since I have high numbers on both LDL and HDL. On my last blood test, HDL was 126, although it’s usually between 90-110. Because my total cholesterol was high, I had a heart scan. It showed zero calcium (except at the top of my aorta that the radiologist said was normal for my age). My primary care internist said the reason I have no calcium is because of my high HDL. I don’t think I want to reduce that number!
I was told that what counts is the HDL/LDL ratio my number total is high but I have a 3 to 1 ratio and was told I’m safe. Whats true?
Doctors love to tell about what’s good for us without understanding the realities of life. I like blueberries, but they’re expensive. For health and environmental reasons, we should be eating food grown close to home, but that means eating fresh blueberries only in July and August where I live. Freezing food for long periods of time uses a lot of electricity. And don’t get me started on fish! Fisheries experts are alarmed at declining fish stocks. They’re predicting the oceans will be devoid of fish before long.
Maybe the take-home message is to feed pigs a vegetarian diet with blueberries so we can eat healthier pork!
It would think that any HDL reduction would be minimal on a percentage basis, so if you are primarily eating them for brain function, I would dare to say you could just have a glass or two of red wine each night to offset any reduction in HDL. I’d like to think a small amout of wine is good for the brain too (LOL) but I can’t say for sure if this has been proven by science. Now THATS a study I’d like to sign up for!
How many blueberrys does it take tobe effect or to see some results? Is it like greentea which takes large amounts of concentrate for the antioxidents tobe effect? I have a lound eeeeee noise in the head. Remidies for the ears all make the noise louder. The local specialist say i have 20db better hearing than normal but accompanied with the eeee noise around 12 to 15 KHZ?
While the individual numbers do matter, the ratio is what’s important. A lifelong ratio of below 4.0 for total cholesterol to HDL is associated with very low risk of heart disease according to the Framingham study, the largest long term study of heart disease. In this current pig study both the total and LDL cholesterol were lowered by a larger % than the HDL so the overall Ratios were improved. However, personally and professionally I don’t see the practicality of 2 cups of blueberries a day since there are many other ways to help your cholesterol and there are advantages to having a more varied intake of fruit. We shouldn’t put all our ‘antioxidants’ in one basket.
I am sure that Saskatoon berries have the same benefits as blueberries; might be worth looking into as they could be cheaper, if you live out west. Can be bought from U-pick farms, frozen.
I appreciate the reinforcement about blueberries. According to Dr. Amen and other sources of information, health is about:
regular exercise (for brain and body),
eating regular meals,
consuming healthy foods (variety of: non-fried legumes, non-hydrogenated nuts, vegetables, and fruits)
eliminating adverse foods (no alcohol, no tobacco products, no animal products, no hydrogenated oils, no fried foods),
7 to 8 hours of sleep,
fresh air,
organic foods when possible
Result: healthy ratio of HDL/LDL. Ratio is key.
Eliminating animal products and hydrogenated oils while using good oil (i.e. Olive), plus adding exervise pushes HDL and can reverse fatty liver condition. That condition alone will cause the body to make cholesterol and work against any needed loss of triglycerides, lower LDL. Only recently that I learned about stubborn LDL because of fatty liver condition. So, add red grapes and flax seed!