Freeze-dried bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) dietary supplement improves walking distance and lipids after myocardial infarction: an open-label randomized clinical trial

Lilith Arevström (1) , Cecilia Bergh (2) , Rikard Landberg (3) , Huaxing Wu (3) , Ana Rodriguez-Mateos (4) , Micael Waldenborg (1) , Anders Magnuson (2) , Stéphane Blanc (5) , Ole Fröbert (1)

1 Department of Cardiology
2 Unit of Statistics and Epidemiology, Centre for Clinical Research
3 SLU - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences = Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
4 Division of Cardiology, Pulmonology and Vascular Medicine, Medical Faculty
5 DEPE-IPHC - Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie

Bilberries, Vaccinium myrtillus, have a high content of phenolic compounds including anthocyanins, which could provide cardiometabolic health benefits following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We hypothesized that standard medical therapy supplemented with freeze-dried bilberry after AMI would have a more beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk markers and exercise capacity than medical therapy alone. Patients were allocated in a 1:1 ratio within 24 hours of percutaneous coronary intervention in an 8-week trial either to V myrtillus powder (40 g/d, equivalent to 480 g fresh bilberries) and standard medical therapy or to a control group receiving standard medical therapy alone. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and exercise capacity measured with the 6-minute walk test were the primary biochemical and clinical end points, respectively. Fifty subjects completed the study. No statistically significant difference in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was detected between groups. The mean 6-minute walk test distance increased significantly more in the bilberry group compared to the control group: mean difference 38 m at follow-up (95% confidence interval 14-62, P = .003). Ex vivo oxidized low-density lipoprotein was significantly lowered in the bilberry group compared to control, geometric mean ratio 0.80 (95% confidence interval 0.66-0.96, P = .017), whereas total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol did not differ significantly between groups. Anthocyanin-derived metabolites in blood increased significantly in the bilberry group during the intervention and were different after 8 weeks between the bilberry group and control. Findings in the present study suggest that bilberries may have clinically relevant beneficial effects following AMI; a larger, double-blind clinical trial is warranted to confirm this.

Mots clés: Anthocyanins; Bilberries; Cholesterol; Exercise test; Inflammation; Myocardial Infarction

Domaines: Alimentation et Nutrition; Cardiologie et système cardiovasculaire; Physiologie [q-bio.TO]

Lilith Arevström, Cecilia Bergh, Rikard Landberg, Huaxing Wu, Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, et al.. Freeze-dried bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) dietary supplement improves walking distance and lipids after myocardial infarction: an open-label randomized clinical trial. Nutrition Research, 2019, 62, pp.13-22. ⟨10.1016/j.nutres.2018.11.008⟩. ⟨hal-02108278⟩