Natural compound in blueberries and grapes may unlock fat-burning process in muscle cells

Read the original at Fox News ↗
Cite

Bardolf, D. (2026, September 12). Natural compound in blueberries and grapes may unlock fat-burning process in muscle cells. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/popular-fruits-contain-natural-compound-may-help-muscle-cells-burn-fat

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-09-12 · by Deirdre Bardolf

Quick Summary

Researchers in Japan discovered that pterostilbene, a compound found in blueberries and grapes, reduces abnormal fat buildup in mouse muscle cells by promoting fat breakdown within the cells. Published on September 1 in Food Bioscience, this study suggests potential benefits against metabolic issues like insulin resistance. The lead researcher, Takakazu Mitani from Shinshu University, emphasized that future human studies are necessary to confirm these effects. Johannah Katz, a registered dietitian, noted that while the findings provide insight into fat metabolism, they do not definitively prove that consuming blueberries or taking pterostilbene supplements will reduce muscle fat in humans.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-12, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Researchers from Shinshu University in Japan discovered that pterostilbene, a natural compound found in blueberries and grapes, may help muscle cells break down stored fat. Published on September 1, 2023, in the journal *Food Bioscience*, their study involved laboratory experiments with mouse muscle cells, showing that pterostilbene reduced abnormal fat buildup by promoting the breakdown of existing fat stores within cells. This compound is an antioxidant linked to metabolic benefits but had not been extensively studied for its effects on skeletal muscle before this research. Excessive fat in muscle cells can interfere with glucose and fatty acid usage and contribute to insulin resistance, making pterostilbene a promising candidate for developing new functional foods and nutritional supplements targeting muscle fat metabolism.

Written for “Blueberry Compound Fat Burning” on 2026-10-27, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Blueberry Compound Fat Burning
Science · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
41%
7 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Science
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-12 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 5582 article(s) · 9 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 9 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Deirdre Bardolf
32 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Card told Fox News Digital that his experience working in hotel and restaurant kitchens preparing and cutting steaks made him confident he could tell the difference.
🔮 Alton Brown's unconventional approach calls for mayonnaise and extra egg yolks.
🔮 Hurts is receiving treatment with the medication and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season, according to the NFL.
🔮 Sage's drying quality works well to balance rich, fatty dishes, and it was even traditionally rubbed between the hands as a home remedy for clamminess, Perr said. For dried herbs, Perr also recommends crushing them in your hand before adding them to a dish to help release their oils. "Crushing it before you add it to something will explode the flavor," she said.
🔮 New York City and Chicago may be the American cities best known for their pizza, but another city — in Connecticut of all places — has carved out its own slice of the pie.
🔮 A new analysis of 20 protein sources found that the top scorer wasn’t steak, salmon or eggs — it was an everyday food many shoppers may be overlooking.
🔮 The dinner party may be dying in America, with hosting at home far less common than it was in past decades, a new analysis found.
🔮 Rice may be a kitchen staple, but cooking it well at home can be trickier than it seems.
🔮 Here are five that might bring back some sweet memories.
🔮 Bushby hadn't even trained for the last leg of the trip and after about an hour in the water, he was cramping and doubting whether he could finish, he told the BBC.
Also by Deirdre Bardolf
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 32 articles by Deirdre Bardolf →

Topics

Florida Food Bioscience Fox News Digital Japan Shinshu University

Subjects

Fox News Digital ORG · 2× Florida GPE · 1× Food Bioscience ORG · 1× Japan GPE · 1× Johannah Katz PERSON · 1× Katz PERSON · 1× Mitani PERSON · 1× Shinshu University ORG · 1× Takakazu Mitani PERSON · 1×

Narrative

The new findings, published Sept. 1 in the journal Food Bioscience, suggest that pterostilbene reduced abnormal fat buildup by encouraging cells to break down fat already stored in the cells.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-12
🔮 A natural compound found in blueberries and grapes may help muscle cells break down stored fat, new research suggests.

Claims (17 extracted, 7 hedged)

A natural compound found in blueberries and grapes may help muscle cells break down stored fat, new research suggests. uncertain
research → find → fat
In laboratory experiments conducted in Japan, researchers found that the compound, called pterostilbene, reduced fat accumulation in cultured mouse muscle cells. asserted
compound → conduct → cells
Pterostilbene is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in blueberries, grapes and other types of berries. asserted
Pterostilbene → occur → berries
While previous research linked it to metabolic benefits, little was known about how it could affect skeletal muscle. uncertain
it → link → muscle
The new findings, published Sept. 1 in the journal Food Bioscience, suggest that pterostilbene reduced abnormal fat buildup by encouraging cells to break down fat already stored in the cells. asserted
pterostilbene → publish → cells
Fat buildup can result from high-fat diets, inactivity and aging, according to a news release. uncertain
buildup → result → release
Too much fat inside muscle cells can interfere with how the body uses glucose and fatty acids and may contribute to insulin resistance. "Our findings establish a scientific framework for developing functional foods and nutritional supplements that target muscle fat metabolism," lead researcher Takakazu Mitani, an associate professor at Shinshu University, said in a statement. uncertain
Mitani → interfere → statement
The team screened several food-derived compounds in the cells and found that pterostilbene caused the strongest reduction in fat accumulation without disrupting muscle growth. asserted
pterostilbene → screen → growth
It appeared to preserve a protein, PPAR-delta, that helps regulate how cells process fat, according to the study. uncertain
cells → appear → study
The research also provides an "experimental framework" for identifying other natural compounds that protect PPAR-delta, Mitani added. asserted
Mitani → provide → delta
While the findings provide a starting point for studying dietary approaches that could one day help address obesity, type 2 diabetes and age-related metabolic decline, future studies in humans and animals are needed to determine whether the effect translates beyond lab-grown cells. uncertain
effect → provide → cells
Using a cell model "strips away the complexity of human metabolism," Johannah Katz, a registered dietitian from Florida, told Fox News Digital. asserted
Katz → use → Digital
"In people, pterostilbene has to be digested, absorbed, metabolized, circulated and actually reach muscle tissue at an effective dose," she said. asserted
she → have → dose
"We also can't assume mouse muscle cells will respond exactly like human muscle. asserted
cells → assume → muscle
While the study identified a potential mechanism that may help explain reduced fat accumulation in cells, that is different from showing that eating blueberries or taking pterostilbene supplements directly leads to fat loss, Katz added. uncertain
Katz → identify → loss
"Blueberries and grapes are nutritious foods for many reasons, but this study alone doesn't show that eating more of them will reduce fat buildup in human muscle," she said. asserted
she → show → muscle
Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment. asserted
Digital → reach → comment
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support