Recent study showed that blueberry juice biotransformed with bacteria from the skin of the fruit can be a potential anti-obesity and anti-diabetic agent.

Montreal researchers studied the effect of biotransformed blueberry juice on the mice suffering from obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and hypertension.

Research team found that the juice led to reduction in the high blood glucose levels in the diabetic mice. Within three days the glycemia level of mice reduced by 35%.

A new strain of bacteria isolated from the blueberry flora known as Serratia vaccinii was used for the biotransformation of the juice. Hence increasing the antioxidant powers of the juice with the bacteria lead to strong anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties.

Senior author Pierre S. Haddad, a pharmacology professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Medicine said that the biotransformed blueberry juice may represent a novel therapeutic agent, since it decreases hyperglycemia in diabetic mice and can protect young pre-diabetic mice from developing obesity and diabetes.

Research team also compared the effect of regular blueberry juice and biotransformed blueberry juice on obesity and diabetes. The biotransformed juice led to reduced food intake and decrease in body weight.