Here's Exactly What Happens to Your Cholesterol When You Eat Blueberries
If your doctor has told you that you need to work on getting your cholesterol to a healthy place, it's natural to feel overwhelmed. Chances are, you've been eating the same way for decades and now you might have to change that. Even if you are taking cholesterol-lowering medications, diet still plays a crucial role in supporting your cholesterol.
"For anyone trying to improve their cholesterol levels, I suggest looking at their current eating patterns and thinking, ‘How can I add more whole foods into this?' rather than thinking they need to change out their entire refrigerator contents all at once," Gabrielle Gambino, RD, an advanced clinical dietitian with the advanced heart failure service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells Parade.
When it comes to eating in a way that supports healthy cholesterol levels, Dr. Nadim Geloo, MD, an interventional cardiologist and the senior director of medical affairs at Abbott's structural heart division, says that it's important to minimize foods high in saturated fat (found in foods like red meat, full-fat dairy products and palm oil) or trans fat (found in fried foods and many ultra-processed foods).
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Instead, Dr. Geloo recommends eating foods that are high in fiber (like fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes) and omega-3 fatty acids (found in foods like salmon, mackerel, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts and olive oil).
Maybe you already know that foods like red meat and fried food aren't great for cholesterol. But it's important to know that sugar impacts cholesterol too. Here, both experts explain how the sugar in ultra-processed foods and the sugar in fruit (including blueberries) impacts cholesterol.
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How Eating Foods High in Added Sugar Impacts Cholesterol
You probably know that eating foods high in added sugar, such as pastries and candy, can impact blood sugar. But it directly impacts the heart too, including cholesterol levels.
"Consuming foods high in sugar, such as pastries, can significantly impact your cholesterol profile, primarily by altering the balance of different types of cholesterol in your blood and increasing triglycerides. When you consume foods high in sugar, it raises LDL and triglyceride levels while lowering HDL or ‘good' cholesterol," Dr. Geloo says.
Gambino agrees, explaining that consuming foods high in sugar increases the amount of stored fats in the liver, which are the triglycerides Dr. Geloo mentioned.
"Triglycerides are then packaged into cholesterol transporters to enter our bloodstream. After additional metabolic processes, high amounts of these triglycerides can lead to a decline in HDL ‘good' cholesterol and increase LDL ‘bad' cholesterol," Gambino says.
Dr. Geloo explains that high levels of triglycerides can harden arteries, which significantly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. He adds that this artery damage also increases the risk of heart disease. On top of that, he explains that sugary foods also increase inflammation, which negatively impacts cardiovascular health, making it harder for the body to manage cholesterol effectively.
How Substituting a Sugary Snack for Blueberries Impacts Cholesterol
It's clear that consuming sugary snacks in excess isn't great for cholesterol, but what about fruit? After all, fruit contains sugar too. Both experts say that swapping out a high-sugar snack like a pastry or candy for fruit is a great way to support your cholesterol, especially if that fruit is blueberries.
Scientific research shows a connection between blueberry consumption and healthy cholesterol, showing it can lower LDL cholesterol and help raise HDL cholesterol. "Replacing a sugary, nutrient-void snack with natural snacks such as blueberries to satisfy your sweet tooth can positively impact your cholesterol profile and overall heart health," Dr. Geloo says, explaining that ultra-processed foods contain added sugars, while fruit contains natural sugars.
He tells Parade that the natural sugars in blueberries are accompanied by fiber, which slows down sugar absorption and prevents the sharp blood sugar spikes that typically trigger the liver to convert excess sugar into triglycerides.
Blueberries also have less sugar than other fruits. "This means, when you swap out a high-sugar, processed snack for blueberries, you will hopefully see less triglyceride levels accumulate in the body and less insulin spikes," Gambino says.
Like Dr. Geloo, Gambino points out that blueberries contain soluble fiber as well as antioxidants, two nutrients that support heart health and help lower inflammation. She explains that soluble fiber binds well with bile acids, which are acids that help with digesting fat, adding that these bile acids are created from HDL cholesterol and, once bound, are eliminated from the body.
The Power of Antioxidants
Part of what makes blueberries, in particular, so beneficial for heart health is that they contain a compound called anthocyanin. "Anthocyanin is an antioxidant compound that is responsible for the blue and purple colors seen in many fruits and vegetables," Gambino says.
She explains that antioxidants like anthocyanin help lessen the amount of cholesterol being oxidized, giving these particles less strength to do the damage they normally would. "Anthocyanin can also help ‘good' cholesterol to become even better at removing dangerous cholesterol out of our tissues for elimination," she says.
To reap the cholesterol-supporting benefits of blueberries-as well as all the other ways the fruit supports heart health-Gambino recommends eating one cup of blueberries a day, whether you have them plain, add them to smoothies or use them to top off your oatmeal or yogurt.
As you can see, blueberries may be small, but integrating them into your diet is a great step in supporting your cardiovascular health.
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Sources
- Gabrielle Gambino, RD, advanced clinical dietitian with the advanced heart failure service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
- Dr. Nadim Geloo, MD, interventional cardiologist and the senior director of medical affairs at Abbott's structural heart division
- Wang, Y., Lara Gallegos, J., Haskell-Ramsay, C., et al. (2022). Effects of Blueberry Consumption on Cardiovascular Health in Healthy Adults: A Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Trial.Nutrients. 14(13):2562.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 2:25 PM.