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Last Updated: Jun 30, 2008 - 11:14:37 AM |
FRIDAY FEB 29, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- A new study by New Zealand and US researchers suggests that eating blueberry or taking a blueberry extract supplement may help people lose weight by reducing intake of calories.
The study published in the recent issue of Food Chemistry showed rats fed 1 milliliter of blueberry extract per day for six days gained near 10 percent less body weight compared to those without receiving the extract.
The observation was coupled with about 8 percent decrease in food intake, according to the study. The decrease the researchers said suggests that blueberry extract had a satiety effect.
In the study, two cultivars, "Maru" and "Centurion" fruits were extracted with water and study rats were tube-fed 1 ml of the blueberry extract daily for six days.
Dr Abdul Molan and co-workers from Massey University (New Zealand) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found feeding blueberry extract increased the circulating antioxidant levels in the blood in the groups of rats fed blueberry extract.
Both Maru and Centurion cultivars reduced weight gain by 9.2 and 5.3 percent respectively and cut food intake by 8.6 and 6.2 percent respectively.
The mechanism behind the reduced food intake remains unknown. The researchers suggested that use of blueberry extract increases the feel of fullness and prompted the animals to eat less food.
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