Want to get leaner and fitter? Superfruit that could help discovered

Want to get leaner and fitter? Superfruit that could help discovered by scientists

• Eating a cup of blueberries a day could burn body fat, according to a new study
• Scientists say the antioxidant rich berry could improve athletic performance

Blueberries could be the key to getting leaner and fitter.  

Eating the superfruit helps improve athletic performance and burn body fat, according to US researchers.  

They found that eating 25g of freeze dried blueberries every day, which is equivalent to eating around a cup of the fruit in its natural form, prompts the body to burn more fat while exercising.

On top of making you leaner, they could also help your muscles save their scarcer glycogen supplies — the body’s main source of energy.

This means the fruit could help you exercise for longer and even perform better.

Blueberries are known to be high in antioxidants called anthocyanins, which gives them their deep purple hue. Found in other dark, red or purple berries, the darker the fruit, the more of the antioxidant it contains

Blueberries are known to be high in antioxidants called anthocyanins, which gives them their deep purple hue.

Found in other dark, red or purple berries, the darker the fruit, the more of the antioxidant it contains. 

But this antioxidant is also thought to decrease oxidative stress on the body and encourage fat burning.

The team of scientists, based at California Polytechnic State University and Gonzago University’s Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, carried out experiments with a group of 11 male cyclists. 

Over the course of two weeks, the athletes consumed 25 grams of freeze-dried wild blueberries (WB) powder a day, which contained 375 grams of anthocyanins.

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The volunteers then did 40 minutes of moderate cycling. 

The tests found that fat oxidation rates increased by 19.7 per cent at 20 minutes, 43.2 per cent at 30 minutes and 31.1 per cent at 40 minutes, meaning the volunteers burned more fat after eating the berries. 

The athletes not only burned more fat, but they also burned less carbohydrate-dependent glycogen stores at each time point.

Lactate levels in their blood were also found to be ‘significantly reduced’, according to the scientists. 

This suggests their endurance was improved considerably.

The report stated: ‘This study was the first to investigate whether WB (wild blueberry) consumption would elicit greater FA-ox rates during an exercise protocol aimed to maximise fat oxidation using moderate-intensity exercise in healthy, trained males.’

It added: ‘This novel study documented that consuming WBs for 14 days increased [fat oxidation], decreased [carbohydrate oxidation] and decreased plasma lactate levels during 40 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling.’

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