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Food Science and Nutrition (Poster Session)

(P09-033-24) Effect of a Single Portion of Wild Blueberry on Markers of Vascular Function in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study

Sunday, June 30, 2024
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 311
Disclosure(s):
Marco Rendine, MD Biological Sciences - Nutrition and Functional Foods: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Mirko Marino, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Patrizia Riso, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Cristian Del Bo', PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a wild blueberry (WB) drink on markers of vascular function, including reactive hyperaemia index (RHI), augmentation index (AI), plasma levels of vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1), e-selectin, and Sialyl-Lewis x (sLex), in a group of healthy subjects.

Methods: Twenty volunteers, aged 30.7 ± 5.9 years and body mass index (BMI) of 21.3 ± 2.2 kg/m², were enrolled for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Participants consumed 30g of freeze-dried WB powder (providing 459mg of anthocyanins and 171mg of chlorogenic acid) dissolved in 300ml of water, or a placebo (PL) drink. Each intervention was separated by a 7-day washout period. The day of the experiment, reactive hypermia index (RHI), a measure of vascular function, and arterial stiffness (AI), were assessed by Endo-PAT2000 (Itamar Medical Ltd, Caesarea, Israel) at baseline and 2h after WB or PL consumption. Simultaneously, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) frequency were recorded, while blood samples were collected. Protein levels of VCAM-1, E-selectin, and sLex were measured in plasma by ELISA kits.

Results: Preliminary findings obtained by the first 12 subjects have shown a significant increase (time effect) for RHI (p = 0.031) and AI (p < 0.001) following both PL and WB drinks, while a significant decrease (time effect) for HR frequency (p < 0.001) was observed following both treatments. Plasma VCAM-1 and sLex levels significantly increased by 43.7 ng/mL (p = 0.001; 95% CI: 16.3, 71.1) and 2.1 ng/mL (p < 0.001; 95% CI: 1.0, 3.2), respectively, at 2h post-WB consumption but not post-PL drink. No significant effect was found for E-selectin.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that a single portion of WB drink may affect markers of vascular function by enhancing the molecular process of monocyte adhesion to the vascular endothelium. However, these data are still preliminary, and analysis on the entire group of subjects and markers will clarify the impact of WB on vascular health and identify the potential mechanisms involved.

Funding Sources: The project was funded by The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA).