May 9/Bangor, Maine/Bangor Daily News -- New research at the University of Maine is showing that wild blueberries may have a cardioprotective effect by helping to regulate blood pressure and combat heart disease, specifically atherosclerosis.
David Bell, executive director of the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission, said that Dr. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, professor of clinical nutrition and lead researcher from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, conducted the studies over the past decade. They involved feeding different breeds of laboratory rats a whole-fruit diet, rather than puree or juice as in past studies.