Feeding blueberries to infants as one of their first solid foods may help strengthen immune systems, reduce allergy symptoms, and support gut development, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz.
The study, published in Nutrients and Frontiers in Nutrition, is the first to rigorously test the effects of a specific food on infant health using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
"For parents beginning to wean their infants, it's incredibly difficult to find solid, research-backed advice on what foods to introduce," said senior author Minghua Tang, PhD, adjoint associate professor of pediatrics in the CU Anschutz School of Medicine's Section of Nutrition. "This study is a critical first step in filling that gap by offering real data on how a specific food like blueberries can improve your infant's health."
To safely introduce blueberries, the authors recommend pureeing them for younger infants and mashing or cutting them into small pieces for older babies and toddlers to reduce choking risk.
The study followed 61 infants in the Denver area between five and 12 months of age. Participants consumed either freeze-dried blueberry powder or a placebo powder daily, in addition to their regular diets. Stool and blood samples were collected every two months to monitor gut bacteria, immune system biomarkers, and allergy-related outcomes, along with growth and dietary habits.
The findings included improved allergy symptoms among infants who consumed blueberry powder, reduced inflammation with signs of stronger immune responses, and positive shifts in gut microbiota considered beneficial for immune health.
"This research supports the idea that blueberries offer meaningful health benefits," said Tang, who is also a researcher at the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) at CU Anschutz and Colorado State University. "Just a few blueberries a day could make a difference in supporting long-term health. We view infancy as a critical window of opportunity, and what we introduce during this time can have lasting effects as children grow."
Researchers concluded that further studies are needed to examine other early foods that may support healthy gut bacteria and strong immune function in infants, to provide better dietary guidance for parents.
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