People are always looking for foods that seem especially beneficial for health. Colorful vegetables and fruits fall into this category, especially berries, because of the polyphenols they contain. Recent research found that elderberries may help with insulin control, reduce fat production, and improve metabolic health - at least in this study using mice.
Interestingly, the researchers found that the microbes in the gut break down the polyphenols in foods. The researchers pointed out that other fruits and berries have similar effects to elderberries. But be careful - don't eat large amounts of raw elderberries by the fistful, because unripe elderberries also contain cyanide, which can cause nausea and vomiting.
Excerpts from Food and Wine: This Antioxidant-Rich Berry Could Be a Big Deal for Blood Sugar Control, Researchers Say
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- Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that a compound in elderberries, cinnamic acid, may help improve insulin control and reduce fat production in mice with a healthy gut microbiome.
- The study shows that gut bacteria can transform elderberry compounds into metabolites that support improved metabolic health, potentially informing treatments for insulin resistance and fatty liver disease.
- While promising, scientists caution that more research is needed before recommending elderberry supplements — and remind readers that raw elderberries can be toxic if eaten unripe.
Elderberry is known for its tart flavor, similar to a blackberry at peak ripeness. It's fantastic in salads and an excellent pairing with figs. And, as one new study explains, it may also one day help people reverse insulin resistance.
In December, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic published their study's findings in the journal Molecular Metabolism, explaining how the tiny elderberry may hold significant powers.
According to the researchers, the key player is cinnamic acid, a compound found in elderberry extract (and other fruits like tart cherries). In the study, mice were fed a high-fat diet with or without elderberry extract. When the animals that consumed the elderberry extract had a normal gut microbiome, a common gut bacterium, Clostridium sporogenes, converted cinnamic acid into a metabolite that helps break down food into energy and is transported from the intestines to the liver. Once there, the team said, it “activates pathways that improve insulin control and reduce fat creation.”
In other words, in this mouse model, elderberry extract appeared to help blunt signs of insulin resistance and fatty liver — but only when gut microbes were able to do their job.
Interestingly, Jan Claesen, PhD, the study's lead author, noted that he didn’t initially set out to study elderberries at all, but rather focused on studying how our gut microbiome helps us digest polyphenols, which are antioxidants found in colorful fruits and vegetables and are particularly abundant in berries (like elderberries), which have been shown to help combat chronic inflammation in the body.
From Cleveland Clinic Research: A compound in elderberries may help gut microbes fight insulin resistance