Blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum · Vaccinium angustifolium · Wild blueberry

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Vascular function¹ Glycemic control in diabetes² Cognition in older adults³ Episodic memory, cognitive decline⁴ Lipids in metabolic syndrome⁵ Gestational weight gain⁶

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum and Vaccinium angustifolium) is an anthocyanin-rich fruit used fresh, freeze-dried, or as an extract, acting largely through endothelial and antioxidant pathways.¹ Supplementation is used for vascular function, where a meta-analysis found improved flow-mediated dilation¹, and for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes². It is also used for cognition in older adults and for lipids in metabolic syndrome; typical patients are older adults or those with cardiometabolic risk.

Cognitive evidence is split: a meta-analysis found better episodic memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, yet one in healthy people found no cognitive effect. Blood pressure effects were neutral in patients with cardiometabolic disease⁷. On mood, a 2024 randomized trial in emerging adults with depressive symptoms found six weeks of wild blueberry supplementation inferior to placebo for depressive symptoms, though a single dose briefly improved positive affect⁸. Products listing blueberry are mostly softgels, capsules, tablets, and liquids; see Form comparison.

Health Canada labels on licensed single-ingredient products ask users taking blood thinners to consult a health care practitioner before use⁹. The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation rates long-term safety in healthy adults as low risk, with less known about supplement products¹⁰.

Last updated October 15, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

46 sources, 44 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources