Most people who are trying to lose weight know about the benefits of snacking on fruit instead of other sugary snacks. But where weight loss is concerned, not all fruit may be equal. In fact, some may play a bigger role in helping you to shed pounds than you may think.
Blueberries may help reduce body fat. Photo: Getty
One such fruit is blueberries, which, according to scientists from the American Society for Nutrition, may help break down fat cells and stop new ones from developing.
Researchers from Texas, who have just presented their findings at this year's Experimental Biology conference in the US, discovered the new benefit of eating blueberries after carrying out tests on lab mice.
By feeding the mice varying levels of antioxidants found in blueberries, called polyphenols, they discovered the antioxidants had an effect on the animals' fat cells. The mice that had been given the highest level of blueberry polyphenols lost 73.
As a result, the researchers conclude that blueberry polyphenols may help induce the process of lipolysis - which is the breaking down of fats within the body - in humans too.
Elsewhere, US researchers are warning that eating organic food may help you pile on the pounds. However it's not because organic food is more fattening than non-organic produce, but because we think it's lower in calories and better for us, so we eat more of it.