メディエイゴ

Juice extracted(1) from North American lowbush blueberries(2), biotransformed(3) with bacteria(4) from the skin of the fruit, holds great promise(5) as an anti-obesity(6) and anti-diabetic(7) agent. The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, was conducted by researchers(8) from the Université(9) de Montréal, the Institut(10) Armand-Frappier and the Université de Moncton(11) who tested the effects of biotransformed juices compared to regular blueberry drinks on mice(12).

“Results of this study clearly show that biotransformed blueberry juice has strong anti-obesity and anti-diabetic potential,” says senior author(13) Pierre S. Haddad, a pharmacology(14) professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Medicine(15). “Biotransformed blueberry juice may represent a novel therapeutic agent(16), since it decreases hyperglycemia(17) in diabetic mice and can protect young pre-diabetic(18) mice from developing obesity and diabetes(19).”

The scientists tested the effect of biotransformed blueberry juice on a group of mice prone to(20) obesity, insulin resistance(21), diabetes and hypertension(22). Incorporating(23) biotransformed blueberry juice into the water of mice reduced their food intake(24) and their body weight. “These mice were an excellent model that closely resembles obesity and obesity-linked(25) type 2 diabetes(26) in humans,” says Dr. Haddad, who is also director of the CIHR Team in Aboriginal(27) Anti-Diabetic Medicines at the Université de Montréal.

Biotransformation(28) of the blueberry juice was achieved with a new strain(29) of bacteria isolated from(30) the blueberry flora(31), specifically(32) called Serratia vaccinii(33), which increases the fruit's antioxidant(34) effects. “The identification(35) of the active compounds(36) in biotransformed blueberry juice may result in the discovery of promising(37) new antiobesity and antidiabetic molecules(38),” says Dr. Haddad.