Air date: July 10, 2011

Host: Jeremy Shere, PhD

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Primary Care segments are presented
by IU Health Physicians.

Did you Know? is presented by Wishard Health Services, becoming Eskenazi Health in 2014.

I’m Jeremy Shere.

Blueberries are delicious. And they’re full of healthful antioxidants. But did you know that blueberries may also help build strong bones?

That appears to be the case in rats, at least.

Researchers at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center have found that polyphenols -- the compounds that give blueberries their distinctive blue color -- could have bone-building properties.

In an experiment, rats fed pellets made of 10 percent blueberry powder developed more bone mass than rats who went without blueberries.

There’s more work to be done to strengthen the association between blueberries and bone growth. And there’s no guarantee that what works in rats will work the same way in humans.

But the research does suggest that blueberries may one day be used to prevent osteoporosis and other bone density-related diseases.

And now you know.

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Did You Know is presented by Senior Care at Wishard, answering your questions at LivingLongerBetter.org.

Additional Resources:

• Find out more about the blueberry and bone density research from the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center.