Blueberries reduce cholesterol levels, for pigs at least
By Stephen Daniells

20-Jun-2008 - Supplementing the diet with blueberries may reduce cholesterol levels by over ten per cent, suggests a new study with our porcine friends.

Feeding the animals a two per cent blueberry diet led to reductions in total, LDL and HDL-cholesterol of 12, 15, and eight per cent, respectively, Canadian researchers report in the British Journal of Nutrition.

The significance for humans lies in the fact that pigs have levels of LDL similar to humans and are susceptible to diet-induced vascular disease, according to lead researcher, Wilhelmina Kalt, from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Pigs can also develop atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta and carotid artery, and have a similar blood pressure and heart rate as humans.

The two per cent blueberry diet is equivalent to approximately two cups of blueberries in the human diet, suggested the researchers, giving a dose that could be "...reasonably achieved in the adult human diet and suggests that the observed effect from blueberry supplementation could occur in healthy humans," wrote Kalt and co-workers.

The cholesterol-lowering potential of the fruit has already been reported in the literature, while the berry is also increasing linked to other health benefits including protecting against cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

Read complete article here: Blueberries reduce cholesterol levels, for pigs at least By Stephen Daniells