A systematic review of bilberry research recently showed that it improved blood sugar levels in Chinese people, which have stronger impacts on individuals who were elderly or had type 2 diabetes.
As indicated in a Daily Express report, berries have been studied for numerous health benefits, many of which are ascribed to the polyphenol antioxidants' content they have.
Essentially, bilberries have been noted to contain health benefits, although detailed studies have shown that these only occur in specific population groups.
Moreover, such a review was able to identify improvements, too, to blood pressure and cholesterol levels among people suffering from hypertension.
Read Also: Treat Type 2 Diabetes by Adding This Tasty Food to Your Diet
An ethnic Albanian shows blueberries (also known as bilberries) collected in the Luboten mountains, some 140 kilometers from the capital Pristina, southern Kosovo.
Bilberries Benefitting Glucose, Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure
The systematic review published in the Journal Nutrients showed benefits to glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure among those who ate bilberry extract.
The Chinese research the authors examined also studied longer-term health results. The study authors could not explain the differences between populations with variables like age or dose.
In addition, the researchers also noted that as long-term studies, there were a larger number of variables that might be accountable as well for the changes to cholesterol levels.
Furthermore, the study investigators noted that consuming berries would affect their health benefits.
Speed and Amount of Bioavailability
The speed and amount of "bioavailability," detailed in ScienceDirect, the beneficial nutrients absorbed from food, can be changed by how it is consumed.
The researchers noted one example, too, in which the bioavailability of nutrients in strawberries was lessened when it was eaten along with breakfast.
Better results were identified when consuming strawberries before and after the meal and with cream.
In the bilberry research examined, the data on the manner it was eaten was not recorded, and the study investigators noted that this could impact their assessment outcomes.
Commenting on their study finding, the researchers said it has to be noted that for most of the studies included in such review, the phenolic metabolite structure of the bilberry, as well as the blackcurrant extract, or the grapeseed extract, were not indicated, whereas such information is vital for analyzing the link between the intake of supplements and its health impacts.
Insulin Sensitivity Improved
The researchers also noted that animal and laboratory studies have discovered that bilberries improve blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity.
In addition, in type 2 diabetes patients, the hormone insulin turns less effective at controlling blood sugar. Studies have also been carried out on people at risk of the condition.
Essentially, research published in the Molecular Nutrition and Food Research journal showed that people at high risk of developing diabetes exhibited improvements to blood sugar when eating a bilberry-filled diet.
Insulin secretion was increased in some diabetes patients. Diabetes, in particular, is a chronic metabolic condition where an individual's body cannot control blood sugar levels anymore.
Diabetes
This condition occurs since the hormone is accountable for eliminating sugar; insulin turns less reactive. It can occur if the body is unable to produce insulin, which occurs as an outcome of autoimmune disorders.
For one who suffers symptoms of diabetes or prediabetes, medical experts recommend that they consult their doctor with how best to manage their condition and avoid it from getting worse.
Related information about bilberry for lowering blood sugar levels is shown on Dr. Sam Robbins' YouTube video below:
RELATED ARTICLE: November is Diabetes Awareness Month!
Check out more news and information on Diabetes in Science Times.
