Key Takeaways
Elderberry juice might be able to help people lose weight and better control blood sugarPeople who drank 12 ounces daily had lower blood sugar and improved fat burningThese benefits were associated with healthier gut bacteria
FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Ozempic? Wegovy? Zepbound?
How about elderberry juice?
Elderberry juice might help people lose weight and improve their blood sugar control, a new small-scale study says.
People who drank 12 ounces of elderberry juice daily for a week wound up with better blood sugar levels, improved fat burning, and a healthier set of gut microbes, researchers reported in a study published recently in the journal Nutrients.
For example, those drinking the juice had 24% lower blood sugar levels and a 9% decrease in insulin, results show.
“Elderberry is an underappreciated berry, commercially and nutritionally,” senior researcher Patrick Solverson, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology with the Washington State University College of Medicine, said in a news release from the college. “We’re now starting to recognize its value for human health, and the results are very exciting.”
Elderberry is a small dark purple berry found on elder trees native to Europe. It’s commonly used as a medicinal plant and supplement to promote immune function, researchers said in background notes.
For the study, researchers randomly assigned 18 overweight adults to drink either daily elderberry juice or a placebo drink with similar coloring and taste.
Those given elderberry juice experienced increased amounts of beneficial gut bacteria, and decreased levels of harmful bacteria, researchers found.
Better levels of healthy gut microbes improve nutrient absorption during digestion, and also are linked to improved blood sugar control.
Results also suggest that elderberry juice enhances the body’s ability to burn fat. Participants drinking the juice had improved breakdown of fatty acids after a high carb meal and during exercise, researchers said.
Elderberries contain high levels of anthocyanins, a group of deep red, purple and blue pigments found in plants.
Anthocyanins are known to have a variety of health benefits, including lowering inflammation, controlling blood sugar, and fighting unhealthy microbes, researchers noted.
“Food is medicine, and science is catching up to that popular wisdom,” Solverson said. “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 types of berries contain anthocyanins, but typically in lower concentrations. For example, 6 ounces of elderberry juice contain the same anthocyanin dose as four cups of blackberries, Solverson said.
Longer-term studies are needed to show if elderberry juice can actually help people lose weight or produce other benefits like lower cholesterol levels, researchers concluded.
Researchers also plan to further explore the potential of elderberry juice for health, including whether it can help people keep weight off after they’ve stopped taking Ozempic or Zepbound.
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more about anthocyanins.
SOURCE: Washington State University, news release, Jan. 8, 2025; National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
What This Means For You
People who are overweight or diabetic should ask their doctor whether elderberry juice might help them lose weight or gain better blood sugar control.
