Blueberry compounds and chronic disease prevention
What it found
Blueberry is rich in anthocyanins and polyphenols, and these compounds have been studied for effects on cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, brain function and more.
Much of the evidence comes from lab tests and animal studies, with some human trials.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Anticancer effects
Blueberry anthocyanins and phenolic acids have shown anticancer effects in lab tests and animal studies, including slowing cancer cell growth and reducing tumor size in mice. In one mouse study, 400 mg of blueberry daily significantly reduced tumor size.
Anti-obesity effects
Blueberry polyphenols and anthocyanins have been studied for anti-obesity effects in cells and animals, such as inhibiting fat cell formation and reducing body weight in mice on a high-fat diet. Blueberry leaf extract reduced body weight by 20% in mice.
Studies in people and animals
Diabetes and blood sugar
Blueberry anthocyanins and polyphenols have shown antidiabetic effects in lab and animal studies, including increasing insulin secretion, reducing insulin resistance and protecting pancreatic beta cells. Some human studies suggest blueberry can temper post-meal glucose response.
Heart and blood vessels
Blueberry polyphenols have been studied for heart benefits, including reducing blood pressure and improving endothelial function in smokers and nonsmokers. Daily blueberry consumption has been linked to lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness in humans.
Brain and cognition
Blueberry anthocyanins have been studied for brain benefits in animals and humans, including improved memory and cognitive function in older adults. A three-month intervention with 100 mg blueberry extract improved episodic memory in an aged population.
Vision and liver
Blueberry anthocyanins have shown protective effects on vision and liver in lab and animal studies, such as helping visual acuity recovery after photobleaching and protecting liver cells from damage. Human retinal pigment epithelial cells were used in some vision studies.
What the authors conclude
“These data supported that anthocyanidins and polyphenols from blueberry are very important for the prevention of chronic diseases.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that anthocyanidins and polyphenols from blueberry are very important for the prevention of chronic diseases.
- They call for further research, including more carefully controlled longer-duration observational, animal, and human trials, especially on anthocyanins and polyphenols in blueberry extracts.
- They suggest that dietary blueberry is a promising natural source for developing functional foods and novel drugs with improved efficiency, efficacy, and safety.
How it was done
The authors wanted to better understand how blueberry and its functional ingredients might help prevent chronic diseases, and to gather scientific evidence for developing functional foods, nutraceuticals and drugs from blueberry.
They reviewed studies from comprehensive databases, especially PubMed, ISI Web of Science and CNKI, for the period 2008 to 2018. They looked at the mechanisms and health roles of blueberry's anthocyanins and polyphenols in chronic disease.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the findings come from lab tests and animal studies, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- The review includes some human studies, but these often look at short-term effects or associations, so they cannot prove that blueberry prevents chronic diseases.
- The authors note that more carefully controlled longer-duration trials are needed to confirm the health effects.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by the Science and Technology to Benefit the People from Yunnan Provincial Scientific and Technology Department; the scientific research foundation of Yunnan Provincial Department of Education; China Agriculture Research System (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Southwest Forestry University, China; Biotechnology and Germplasm Resources Institute, China
The paper
- Title
- Molecular Mechanism and Health Role of Functional Ingredients in Blueberry for Chronic Disease in Human Beings
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ma L, Sun Z, Zeng Y, Luo M, Yang J (2018). Molecular Mechanism and Health Role of Functional Ingredients in Blueberry for Chronic Disease in Human Beings. International journal of molecular sciences. doi:10.3390/ijms19092785Free full textPubMed 30223619DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error