Blueberries consumption may improve mass and function of skeletal muscles: Study
IMAGE: A NEW STUDY INVESTIGATED HOW SERUM FROM SUBJECTS CONSUMING A DIET ENRICHED WITH BLUEBERRIES WOULD AFFECT THE CELLS RESPONSIBLE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH AND REPAIR. view more
CREDIT: U.S. HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY COUNCIL
FOLSOM, Calif. - Researchers at Cornell University have found in a new study that a diet rich in blueberries may improve potential for preservation and recovery of skeletal muscle mass.
The new study investigated how serum from subjects consuming a diet enriched with blueberries would affect the cells responsible for muscle growth and repair. The emerging study, "Consumption of a blueberry enriched diet by women for six weeks alters determinants of human muscle progenitor cell function," has been published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Skeletal muscle progenitor cells (SMPCs), also called myogenic progenitors, have been studied extensively in recent years because of their promising therapeutic potential to preserve and recover skeletal muscle mass and function in patients with cachexia, sarcopenia, and neuromuscular diseases.
The study was conducted over six weeks with 22 women, 12 aged 25-40 and 10 aged 60-75. For the blueberry-enriched diet, participants consumed the equivalent of 1.75 cups of fresh blueberries/day, given as freeze-dried blueberries (19 g in the morning and 19 g in the evening), along with their regular diet. Participants were also asked to avoid other foods rich in polyphenols and anthocyanins. Serum was obtained from the participants 1.5 hours after consuming the morning dose of blueberries. The researchers then investigated how the serum would affect muscle progenitor cell function through proliferation or cell number, capacity to manage oxidative stress and oxygen consumption rate or metabolism.
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