New Zealand blackcurrant anthocyanins decrease the health-damaging consequences of being overweight

We all struggle with our eating habits and managing our weight, even though we know the importance of choosing the right foods and not overeating.  Changes in life’s circumstances particularly tempt us to reach for those foods that comfort us, and often these foods are unfortunately not the healthiest.

Consequences of being overweight can include elevated levels of blood sugar and inflammation.  Elevated levels of these two factors can then lead to serious health problems including decreased sensitivity to the blood sugar controlling hormone insulin, and life-threatening disease’s including diabetes and heart disease.

Increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in our diet has been shown to help manage weight and reduce the health-damaging consequences of being overweight.  However, we are now learning that there are specific fruits and vegetables that we can include in our diet that will specifically counteract the health-damaging consequences of being overweight.

A recent clinical trial has shown that regular consumption of New Zealand Blackcurrant anthocyanins benefits control of blood sugar and inflammation in overweight people.  This clinical trial was undertaken at the Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK, and published in the July 2020 volume of the European Journal of Nutrition.

The trial involved 25 overweight males and females who consumed either a placebo or a capsule containing 105mg of New Zealand blackcurrant anthocyanins (equivalent to 18g of New Zealand blackcurrants) twice a day.  The overweight subjects had increased sensitivity to insulin, lower levels of blood sugar after meals and lower levels of C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) after consuming New Zealand blackcurrant anthocyanins for 8 days compared to when they had consumed a placebo for 8 days.

So if you are looking for foods that will help with your health as you are managing your weight then it makes good sense to regularly include New Zealand blackcurrants in your diet.

The full study can be read here.