Impacts of wild blueberries on weight regulation, appetite, and cardiometabolic biomarkers of adults: A randomized clinical trial
- 1School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
Abstract
Blueberries are rich in polyphenols and other bioactive compounds that may influence appetite regulation, weight management, and cardiometabolic health. The effects of daily wild blueberry consumption on appetite, body weight (primary long-term phase endpoint) and composition, and cardiometabolic biomarkers were evaluated during an energy-restricted weight loss intervention. In a randomized, single-blind, parallel-arm trial, 38 adults (BMI 25–40 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to consume daily a 170 kcal yogurt parfait made with either 1 cup of wild blueberries (n = 18 completers) or with an isocaloric artificially-flavored, sugar-sweetened blueberry syrup (n = 18 completers) for 8 weeks within a structured weight loss program. Acute postprandial (2 h) appetite ratings and hormonal responses (glucose, insulin, ghrelin, pancreatic polypeptide) were assessed at baseline as primary acute phase endpoints. Secondary outcomes included changes in body composition, blood lipids, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, blood pressure, food cravings and self-reported appetite and physical activity. Both groups exhibited significant weight loss (1.1 ± 1.8 kg for blueberry vs. 1.3 ± 1.3 kg for syrup) over time (p < 0.05) with no differences between treatments, despite a tendency for blueberries to enhance cravings control compared to syrup (p = 0.059). Main effects of time for reduced lean and fat masses and body water were detected, but post-hoc analyses revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences within syrup consumers only. No significant between-group differences were observed for cardiometabolic biomarkers. Insulin tended (p = 0.055 for main effect of time) to decrease but with no differences between groups. Acutely, both groups exhibited similar changes in appetite ratings and hormones over time. Consumption of intact wild blueberries within a yogurt-based snack did not impact acute appetitive responses or longer-term weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes compared to a refined syrup-sweetened control yogurt during 8 weeks of energy restriction despite a tendency to improve cravings control.
ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05736432.
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BibTeX
@article{kern2026impacts,
title = {{Impacts of wild blueberries on weight regulation, appetite, and cardiometabolic biomarkers of adults: A randomized clinical trial}},
author = {Mark Kern and Parker Contreras and Emily Hickey and Sarah Parsons Lee and Jenna Mueller and Shirin Hooshmand},
journal = {Metabolism Open},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.metop.2026.100514},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metop.2026.100514},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impacts of wild blueberries on weight regulation, appetite, and cardiometabolic biomarkers of adults: A randomized clinical trial
AU - Mark Kern
AU - Parker Contreras
AU - Emily Hickey
AU - Sarah Parsons Lee
AU - Jenna Mueller
AU - Shirin Hooshmand
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Metabolism Open
DO - 10.1016/j.metop.2026.100514
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metop.2026.100514
AB - Blueberries are rich in polyphenols and other bioactive compounds that may influence appetite regulation, weight management, and cardiometabolic health. The effects of daily wild blueberry consumption on appetite, body weight (primary long-term phase endpoint) and composition, and cardiometabolic biomarkers were evaluated during an energy-restricted weight loss intervention. In a randomized, single-blind, parallel-arm trial, 38 adults (BMI 25–40 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to consume daily a 170 kcal yogurt parfait made with either 1 cup of wild blueberries (n = 18 completers) or with an isocaloric artificially-flavored, sugar-sweetened blueberry syrup (n = 18 completers) for 8 weeks within a structured weight loss program. Acute postprandial (2 h) appetite ratings and hormonal responses (glucose, insulin, ghrelin, pancreatic polypeptide) were assessed at baseline as primary acute phase endpoints. Secondary outcomes included changes in body composition, blood lipids, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, blood pressure, food cravings and self-reported appetite and physical activity. Both groups exhibited significant weight loss (1.1 ± 1.8 kg for blueberry vs. 1.3 ± 1.3 kg for syrup) over time (p < 0.05) with no differences between treatments, despite a tendency for blueberries to enhance cravings control compared to syrup (p = 0.059). Main effects of time for reduced lean and fat masses and body water were detected, but post-hoc analyses revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences within syrup consumers only. No significant between-group differences were observed for cardiometabolic biomarkers. Insulin tended (p = 0.055 for main effect of time) to decrease but with no differences between groups. Acutely, both groups exhibited similar changes in appetite ratings and hormones over time. Consumption of intact wild blueberries within a yogurt-based snack did not impact acute appetitive responses or longer-term weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes compared to a refined syrup-sweetened control yogurt during 8 weeks of energy restriction despite a tendency to improve cravings control. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05736432.
SN - 2589-9368
ER -