Health gem

If you do one thing this week...eat some blueberries

Is there no end to the talents of berries? As well as tasting great and providing vitamin C, they contain plant chemicals that have been linked in model studies to several benefits, including protecting the health of the heart.

And now there’s another possible benefit to add to the list: helping the fight against flab.

A study outlined at the Experimental Biology 2011 conference in the US earlier this month found that polyphenols which occur in blueberries can inhibit the formation of fat cells called adipocytes. That research looked at mouse cells growing in a dish, so it will be interesting to see how it pans out in humans.

“Determining the best dose for humans will be important,” said researcher Shiwani Moghe, a graduate student from Texas Woman’s University. “The promise is there for blueberries to help reduce adipose tissue from forming in the body.