Bilberries May Prevent Hardening of Arteries
Lee Swanson Research Update
Extracts from bilberry may prevent the build-up of plaques in the arteries, preventing hardening of the blood vessels and boosting overall heart health, according to a new study from France.
Researchers led by Aurelie Mauray from France's Institut National de la Research Agronomique used apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice, putting the animals at an increased risk of heart disease. Apolipoprotein-E (Apo-E) is essential for the normal breakdown of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein constituents.
Mauray and her co-workers divided the mice into three groups. All groups were fed the standard control diet, but two groups received one of two bilberry extracts: one rich in anthocyanins extracted from untreated bilberries and a second one extracted from yeast-fermented bilberries at a level of 0.02 percent. Such an intake corresponds to about 30 mg of anthocyanidins per day in humans, said the researchers.
At the end of 16 weeks of study, significant inhibition of the development of plaques associated with atherosclerosis was observed in both bilberry groups.
"The lesion area was decreased by 15% in the [untreated bilberry extract] group and by 36% in the yeast-fermented bilberry extract group compared to the control group," the researchers reported.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Published online ahead of print.