Zee Media Bureau/ Liji Varghese
New Delhi: We all wish to have a metabolism that helps us relish cheese burst pizzas and a full slice of chocolate cake without having to worry about gaining the slightest weight. But how often do such dreams come true?
If research is anything to go by, hopefully soon enough these dreams will be a reality for all those who just cannot stay off the high-fat diet.
Researchers at Lund University, Sweden, have found that eating lingonberries could prevent weight gain in people with a high-fat diet. They discovered lingonberries, also called Scandinavian berries and sometimes cowberries in the UK, help lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
The research team tested a variety of berries – lingonberry, bilberry, raspberry, crowberry, blackberry, prune, blackcurrant or acai berry – on a type of mouse that easily stores fat and therefore can be regarded as a model for overweight humans at risk of diabetes.
After three months, the mice that had eaten lingonberries had by far the best results, the researchers said.
The acai berry from Central and South America, which is hailed as a “superberry”, came last in the study.
The mice that had eaten lingonberries had not put on more weight and their blood sugar, insulin readings and cholesterol levels were also similar to those of the ‘low-fat’ mice, the study found.
The good results from lingonberries may be due to their polyphenol content, according to the researchers, who are trying to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in their effect
However, the researchers warned people against using the study as an excuse to indulge in unhealthy eating habits.
