LEADING SCIENTISTS GATHER IN MAINE FOR WILD BLUEBERRY HEALTH RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

August 12, 2024

BAR HARBOR, Maine. The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) will host the 22nd gathering of wild blueberry health researchers at the Wild Blueberry Cardiometabolic Health Research Symposium in Bar Harbor from August 12 – 15th 2024. This event is a meeting of the minds for some of the world’s top wild blueberry health researchers. They will share research findings, discuss best practices for research, and exchange findings on recent evidence that points to the wild blueberry’s role in cardiovascular and metabolic health, including heart-health and vascular functioning, insulin and blood glucose regulation, gut health, and weight management.

WBANA has assembled an elite group of twelve researchers with expertise in berries and berry compounds to participate; as is typical of WBANA’s well-known researcher gatherings, much of the multi-day program will revolve around scientific presentations, group discussions and brainstorming.

“The WBANA health researcher gatherings, which started in 1997, were the first of their kind among food commodity groups. Over time, these meetings and the work of a small but growing group of scientific researchers, has led to a significant body of research that demonstrates the many ways that eating wild blueberries regularly can support health throughout the body,” says Kitty Broihier, MS, RD, LD, nutrition advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America.

University of Maine clinical nutrition professor and long-time wild blueberry researcher, Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, MS, PhD, FACN, has attended almost all the WBANA Bar Harbor research gatherings, and helped organize this year’s symposium. “Coming together with other scientists at this meeting helps stimulate ideas for new research studies, allows us to work together to refine research processes, and nourishes professional collaborations that can make a big impact on future wild blueberry health research,” adds Ms. Klimis-Zacas.

Showcasing a wide range of wild blueberry health effects

If one has eaten wild blueberries, one already knows that their intense flavor, petite size, vibrant color and fleeting fresh season are some of the things that make them unique. They’re also one of the few fruits indigenous to North America.

Wild blueberries also rise to the top due to their health impacts. Blueberries in general have been shown to be beneficial to human health in a wide range of areas, primarily due to the powerful, natural plant compounds they contain. Mary Ann Lila, PhD, Director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University, and an expert on wild blueberry health benefits, explains, “Wild blueberries in particular are effective for human health protection because they produce the most potent, diverse cornucopia of nature-made bioactive substances that, when eaten, provide broad-spectrum defense for people who eat them.”

The broad theme of this year’s symposium is cardiometabolic health. “Cardiometabolic health covers a large number of body systems and the functioning of each of these systems impacts others, ultimately leading to either good health or metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and problems with the gut microbiome, to name a few,” continues Ms. Klimis-Zacas.

Being metabolically healthy benefits one’s heart health, gut health, brain health, energy balance, blood sugar regulation and more. And good nutrition positively impacts metabolic health; this is where wild blueberries can help.

“Multiple studies suggest that eating wild blueberries regularly can improve aspects of metabolic health,” continues Ms. Broihier. “Not only do they contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals — as well as fiber and beneficial plant compounds such as anthocyanins — research also shows that they improve insulin sensitivity and improve blood pressure.”

Some recent findings about wild blueberries and health include:

“The list of beneficial health impacts from eating wild blueberries is getting longer all the time, thanks to work done by researchers around the world, including those attending the WBANA symposium this year,” Ms. Broihier added.

About the Wild Blueberry Association of North America

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) is a trade association of farmers and processors of wild blueberries from Maine, and Canada who are dedicated to bringing the wild blueberry health story and unique wild advantages to consumers and the trade worldwide. WBANA is dedicated to furthering research that explores the health potential of wild blueberries. Hundreds of studies have been conducted on the potential health and disease fighting benefits of wild blueberries. For news, recipes, and related health information about wild blueberries, visit www.wildblueberries.com.

About WBANA CANADA

WBANA is an international trade association of growers and processors of wild blueberries from Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, dedicated to bringing the wild blueberry health story and unique wild advantages to consumers and the trade worldwide. The Canadian affiliate of the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA Canada) is implementing measures to support the development and expansion of international wild blueberry markets. Increased demand for the wild blueberry is helping to boost production and create jobs in many regions of Eastern Canada. Blueberries are the country’s most important fruit crop, occupying more than half of all fruit-growing acreage in Canada. Wild blueberries are exported to more than thirty countries, including the United States, Japan, and Germany. For more information, news, recipes, and related health information visit www.wildblueberryassociation.ca and @canadianwildbb.

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Media: For more information, or to schedule an interview or broadcast segment with any of the researchers or Kitty Broihier, MS, RD, LD, nutrition advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, contact Susan Willemsen at The Siren Group Inc. Tel: (416) 461-1567 or M: 416-402-4880. Email: susan@thesirengroup.com and @thesirengroup.