The Effect of Berry Consumption on Indicators of Cardiovascular Disease Risk

The Effect of Berry Consumption on Indicators of Cardiovascular Disease Risk

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of berry consumption on indicators of cardiovascular disease risk (blood pressure, cardiovascular biomarkers, nutrigenomics).

The study has a randomized crossover design. It consists of two 8-wk dietary treatments, with no washout period between periods. The participants are blinded to treatments. The subjects are randomly assigned to either a berry diet or a control diet which they follow for 8 weeks. After that they are crossed over to the other diet for another 8 weeks. The main visits to the study site are at baseline and after 8 and 16 weeks (for blood pressure measurement/ cardiovascular measurements and sample collection). The additional visits are at 4 and 12 wk; these visits are for compliance checks, meeting the study nurse and receiving the study products. The subjects are asked to maintain their normal dietary and lifestyle habits, as well as to keep alcohol intake and physical activity constant during the study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• mild hypertension (systolic blood pressure 130-159 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure 85-99 mmHg)

Exclusion Criteria:

• smoking
• regular use of medications (except hormone replacement therapy) or dietary supplements
• intestinal disorders
• obesity (BMI> 35 kg/m2)
• vegetarianism
• pregnancy