The news desk
A New Study Says Blueberries Can Improve Running Performance—but You Need to Eat a Lot of Them. Here's What I Learned When I Tried It Myself
A small study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism had nine trail runners consume freeze-dried highbush blueberry powder equal to about three cups of fresh blueberries daily for a week before each of two 22.2-kilometer (13.8-mile) time trials. Average finish time improved from 2:44:30 to 2:37:05—over seven minutes, or 4.2 percent—with comparable average and maximum heart rates and perceived exertion, plus lower resting heart rates and less tiredness. My own week of berry-loading showed no clear changes in resting heart rate or average pace, though blueberries made postrun smoothies smoother and sweeter.
This site provides a summary. Read the source original for the full article.