6. Blueberries May Help Prevent Heart Disease



While eating blueberries may lower blood pressure and oxidized LDL cholesterol, it's important to keep in mind that these are risk factors — not actual diseases.

It would be much more informative to know whether blueberries help prevent hard endpoints like heart attacks, which are the world's leading cause of death (21).

A study in 93,600 nurses found that those with the highest intake of anthocyanins — the main antioxidants in blueberries — were at a 32% lower risk of heart attacks compared to those with the lowest intake (22).

Because this was an observational study, it cannot prove that the anthocyanins alone caused the reduction in risk.

More studies are needed before any claims can be made.


Summary
Some evidence indicates that eating fruits rich in anthocyanins — such as blueberries — is associated with a reduced risk of heart attacks.