Nutrition and Supplements
Blueberries Can Decrease Intestinal Inflammation
May
Evidence indicates that a high-fat diet can promote gut inflammation and increase gut permeability. The use of antibiotics further exacerbates these complications and can lead to the development of inflammatory bowel disease.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of your digestive tract. There are two main types of IBD, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’
Blueberries are rich in different bioactive components such as anthocyanins, antioxidants, and vitamins. They are also rich in polyphenols, which have antimicrobial and antioxidative effects.
Anti Inflammatory Effects of Blueberries
A study from the Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden showed that blueberry fiber is important and can alleviate and protect against intestinal inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease. This protective effect is even better if they are eaten together with probiotics.
The researchers tested various types of diets of blueberry husks, rye bran, and oat bran with or without a mixture of probiotic bacteria, and found that the protective effect of blueberries was reinforced if they were eaten with probiotics.
The combination of blueberries and probiotics reduced inflammation-inducing bacteria in the intestine at the same time as the number of health-promoting lactobacilli increased.
Another study evaluated the effects of blueberries on gut inflammation and permeability using a mice model. The researchers found that blueberry supplementation improved inflammation in the colon, shown by a reduced expression of proinflammatory markers such as IL-1β.
Sources:
Expertanswer. “Blueberries counteract intestinal diseases.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 February 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208145055.htm>.
Mattos Della Lucia C, et al. Antibiotics and High-Fat-Diet Induced Gut Inflammation and Impaired Gut Permeability are Improved by Dietary Blueberries Possibly Through NFκB Signaling. FASEB J. 2022 May;36 Suppl 1. doi: 10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.L7845. PMID: 35555629.
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