Scientists have discovered a little-consumed can help people struggling to manage their weight. Elderberries are a small dark purple berry found on elder trees native to Europe.
It is commonly used as a medicinal plant and supplement to promote immune functions they are packed with antioxidants and vitamins. Its other potential health benefits are poorly understood.
However researchers from Washington State University-led have now discovered the berry’s juice may be a potent tool for weight management and enhancing metabolic health. A clinical trial published in the journal Nutrients found that drinking 12 ounces of elderberry juice daily for a week causes positive changes in the gut microbiome and improves glucose tolerance and fat oxidation.
“Elderberry is an underappreciated berry, commercially and nutritionally,” said corresponding author Patrick Solverson, an assistant professor in the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. “We’re now starting to recognize its value for human health, and the results are very exciting.”
The researchers tested the effects of elderberry on metabolic health in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial with 18 overweight adults. Participants consumed either elderberry juice or a placebo with similar colouring and taste, specially designed by North Carolina State University’s Food Innovation Lab, while maintaining a standardised diet.
Tests revealed those who had the elderberry juice had significantly increased amounts of beneficial gut bacteria and decreased amounts of harmful bacteria. A healthy gut microbiome is essential for nutrient absorption and supports physical and mental health.
Those taking the elderberry had an improved metabolism as well as reduced blood glucose levels by an average of 24%, indicating a significantly improved ability to process sugars following carbohydrate consumption. Results also showed a 9% decrease in insulin levels.
In addition it was found that elderberry juice can enhance the body’s ability to burn fat. Participants who received the elderberry juice showed significantly increased fat oxidation, or the breakdown of fatty acids, after a high carbohydrate meal and during exercise.
The researchers said they believed the positive effects were as a result of the berry’s high concentration of anthocyanins, plant-based bioactive compounds that have a variety of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and antimicrobial effects.
Prof Solverson said: “Food is medicine, and science is catching up to that popular wisdom. This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that elderberry, which has been used as a folk remedy for centuries, has numerous benefits for metabolic as well as prebiotic health.”
Other berries contain anthocyanins, but typically in lower concentrations. A person would have to eat four cups of blackberries a day to achieve the same anthocyanin dose contained in 6 ounces of elderberry juice, he said
Although elderberry products are less popular in the U.S. than in Europe, demand exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic and elderberry continues to be a growing market. The researchers have filed for a provisional patent for using the bioactive components of American black elderberry for weight management and gut health through supplements or other applications.
Researchers plan to explore other applications of elderberry juice, including whether it can help individuals who have discontinued weight loss medications maintain their weight. However further studies are needed to both confirm their initial findings and to determine the long-term effects of elderberry in various populations.