Add a handful of wild blueberries to your breakfast smoothie—your heart, and even your brain, will thank you some day.
Unless you’re picking your own, you are most likely to use frozen berries, which you can add to smoothies, yoghurts and even salads.
The fruit is so rich in polyphenols and fibre that its positive effects on the cardiovascular system can start happening within hours, a definitive review has discovered.
The polyphenols can improve blood vessel function, help maintain healthy blood pressure levels, and manage cholesterol and blood sugar, as well as improve gut health and cognition.
The amazing health-giving qualities of wild berries were uncovered by 12 nutritionists who got together to explore more than 24 years of research, which included a dozen long-term studies.
One of the stand-out benefits was the effects on endothelial function, which is the way that blood vessels relax and respond to stimuli. This could be happening because most of the fruit’s polyphenols reach the colon, which are then turned into metabolites that enter the bloodstream. They account for around 40 percent of the active compounds found in blood.
One of the studies the investigators reviewed found that people who consumed 25 grams of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder every day saw an increase in the ‘good’ bacteria in the gut, which could also improve cognition.
Wild berries, sometimes called lowbush blueberries, are grown in Maine and Eastern Canada.
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