Can blueberries protect heart health?

According to a new study, consuming 1 cup of blueberries each day might improve the metabolic markers associated with cardiovascular risk.

Blueberries are delicious and nutritious; if they could also lower the risk of heart disease, that would be a bonus.

For that reason, the United States Highbush Blueberry Council helped fund a study to investigate blueberries' potential benefit to heart health.

Researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom teamed up with scientists from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.

In particular, they wanted to understand whether regularly consuming blueberries could alter the metabolic profile of people with metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome describes a cluster of conditions that include high blood pressure, excess body fat around the waist, high blood sugar levels, and abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Together, these factors increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Currently, metabolic syndrome affects more than one-third of adults in the U.S., with some experts referring to it as a global epidemic.