Make blueberries a regular part of your diet, but for the most nutritional power, go for the wild variety or its juice whenever you can.

Hunting for wild blueberries is worth the extra effort.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—It’s hard to hate a blueberry. The small, sweet gem of a fruit is sweet and delicious, and particularly good for heart and brain function. But even among blueberries, there are standouts. Emerging research, including a new, small study presented at a recent Dieticians of Canada conference, suggests certain types of blueberries could help prevent diabetes and arthritis.

THE DETAILS: Men enrolled in a Canadian study drank a cup of wild blueberry juice every day for three weeks. After that, they were given a placebo for another three weeks. Researchers checked fasting blood levels before and after each treatment. They found that the juice from wild blueberries helped improve inflammation and insulin sensitivity, two factors that, when abnormal, can contribute to arthritis and diabetes. Which is why Marva Sweeney-Nixon, PhD, associate professor of biology at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada and one of the study researchers, suggests people eat half a cup of fresh or frozen wild blueberries a day. Her previous research found that feeding wild blueberries to rodents with high blood pressure helped lower their BP. More research needs to be done in this department to see if it pans out for humans, too.

WHAT IT MEANS: Fruits and vegetables can do wonders for our health, and they don't come with a two-page list of side effects. Wild blueberries are especially packed with nutrients, and although this particular study focused on men, others have found health benefits for women, too. “Many fruits benefit the heart and blood pressure, or diabetes. However, not many as a single component have been tested in this same way, so blueberries are unique in this regard,” Sweeney-Nixon says. “A good message is that diet can have a tremendous impact on health.”