Blueberry Bioactives Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness EatingSupplements Blueberry Bioactives High Performance Foods by Chris Shugart December 23, 2010March 14, 2022 Tags C3G, Carb Control, Diet Strategy, Insulin Sensitivity, Nutrition & Supplements, Superfood It's often called the most anabolic hormone of all... and it's not testosterone. It's insulin. But insulin is a two-faced "frenemy." How your body handles insulin can drive both muscle gain andfat gain. If you want to manipulate insulin to your advantage, then you need to increase your insulin sensitivity i.e. become less insulin resistant. This will result in less body fat storage and the ability to build muscle easier, especially if you incorporate peri-workout nutrition tactics in this insulin-sensitive state. Sound good Then you need to eat more blueberries A recent study showed that dietary supplementation an anthocyanin found in whole blueberries, called C3G, improved insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant individuals. Basically, researchers gave fat (but non-diabetic) participants two blueberry smoothies per day for six weeks. At the end of the study, 67% showed a 10% or greater improvement in their insulin sensitivity. Since more than half of the American population is predicted to have diabetes or be prediabetic by 2020 (which would amount to a gut-shot to the healthcare system) this is good news. For the physique-focused gym rat, eating blueberries or supplementing with blueberry concentrates could result in more muscle-building and less fat-building over time. Adding fresh or frozen blueberries to a couple of protein shakes every day will help. Another option is to simply use Superfood, which contains freeze-dried organic blueberries with the same bioactivity as fresh. Remember, insulin can be your friend or your enemy. It's up to you to tell it what to do. It looks like consuming blueberries is one way to do that. Study: April J et al. Bioactives in Blueberries Improve Insulin Sensitivity in Obese, Insulin-Resistant Men and Women. J Nutr. 2010 Oct; 140(10):1764–1768. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Eating 9 Fake Health Foods It's easy to spot foods that make you fat and unhealthy, right? Not always. Some health foods are dirty fakers. Check out this list. Dietary Myth Busting, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein T Nation March 8 Eating Structured Peptides The Next Generation of BCAAs Whether for muscle growth, reduction of fatigue, or to preserve muscle while dieting, structured peptides reign supreme. Here's why. Nutrition & Supplements, Performance Proteins TC Luoma October 9 Eating Massive Eating Reloaded - Part 1 An update to Dr. Berardi’s eating plan that called for high calories and a unique macro combining protocol. Check it out. Diet Plan, Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements John Berardi, PhD February 26 Diet & Fat Loss Question of Nutrition 4 Does diet soda make you fat? Is chia better than flax? Will tuna make your mercury rise? Dr. Bowden has the answers. Diet Strategy, Nutrition & Supplements, Question of Nutrition Jonny Bowden, PhD December 10