Incorporating such blueberry juice into the water of mice reduced their food intake and their body weight.

'These mice were an excellent model that closely resembles obesity and obesity-linked type 2 diabetes in humans,' says Haddad.

Biotransformation of the blueberry juice was achieved with a new strain of bacteria isolated from the blueberry flora, specifically called Serratia vaccinii, which increases the fruit's anti-oxidant effects, says a UMFN release.

'The identification of the active compounds in biotransformed blueberry juice may result in the discovery of promising new anti-obesity and anti-diabetic molecules,' says Haddad.

These findings were published in the International Journal of Obesity.