Eating 2 cups of blueberries every day for a month led to an improvement in blood vessel function and a decrease in systolic blood pressure in a test group of healthy people, according to Knowridge.
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One in every 3 U.S. adults has high blood pressure (hypertension), while another 59 million Americans have prehypertension (which means you may soon develop full-blown high blood pressure).
If you have high blood pressure, it’s crucial to implement some dietary strategies to control your levels. And if you have prehypertension, you can typically stop its progression and regain healthy levels just by changing the way you eat.
In still another study, postmenopausal women were able to lower their blood pressure by eating freeze-dried blueberry powder — an amount equivalent to about 1 cup of fresh blueberries — daily for eight weeks. The women had higher levels of nitric oxide, which dilates your blood vessels and reduces your blood pressure. Postmenopausal women have an especially high rate of hypertension and often develop arterial stiffness, increasing their risk of heart disease considerably.
Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, which are flavonoids found in fruits with blue, red or dark purple hues, as well as other beneficial phytochemicals including caffeic acid, catechin, quercetin, kaempferol and tannin.
When seniors between the ages of 60 and 75 years consumed freeze-dried blueberry powder in an amount equivalent to 1 cup of fresh blueberries daily, they experienced improved cognition after just 90 days.
And, when kids aged 7 to 10 years consumed blueberry drinks, cognitive performance improved in a matter of hours.
Blueberry extract in combination with radiation therapy reduced the number of cervical cancer cells by 70%, compared to a 20% to 25% reduction when either therapy was used alone.
Blueberries, rich in vitamins K1, C and B6 are also an excellent source of manganese and fiber, and are packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties known to help reduce your risk for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and vision loss.
Fermented blueberries may be even more potent and beneficial. In animal studies, fermented blueberry juice or vinegar has been shown to help with memory loss, cancer, diabetes and obesity.
A study involving lab mice with amnesia suggests blueberry vinegar, which is produced by fermenting fresh blueberries, effectively improves short-term memory. Further studies are needed to determine if blueberries could pave the way to new and better treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 50 million people worldwide.