Foods That Hold the Key To Preventing Obesity

Fruits like the acai berry that have a natural purple pigment, may assist in preventing obesity as these pigments may hold the key to preventing obesity according to a group of scientist in Arkansas.

Their animal study however, reports that eating the whole fruit containing these pigments seems to be less effective than eating an extract of the berry.

Ronald L. Prior and colleagues, who conducted the study, found that past research has shown that the pigments,called anthocyanins, prevent obesity in laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet.

the mice also tested well from other health benefits related to their purple food diet. Anthocyanins are found in acai berry, blueberries, black berries, and many more foods that are dark in color.

The study reports that researchers discovered mice that are fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks, drinking water, and taking purified anthocyanins from blueberries and the acai berry gained less weight and had lower body fat levels than a control group.

The study found that anthocyanins extract proved to be the only way the effects of weight prevention could be met. When the mice were fed the whole berry, they tended to gain weight.

The article “Whole Berries versus Berry Anthocyanins: Interactions with Dietary Fat Levels in the C57BL/6J Mouse Model of Obesity” can be read in full in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Colorful pigments found in the skin of blueberries, strawberries and other fruits and vegetables may help prevent obesity, according to recent animal studies according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Tweet This Post