Objective. The aim of the study was to screen eight species of berries for their ability to prevent obesity and metabolic abnormalities associated with type 2 diabetes. Methods. C57BL/6J mice were assigned the following diets for 13 weeks: low-fat diet, high-fat diet or high-fat diet supplemented (20%) with lingonberry, blackcurrant, bilberry, raspberry, a？ai, crowberry, prune or blackberry. Results. The groups receiving a high-fat diet supplemented with lingonberries, blackcurrants, raspberries or bilberries gained less weight and had lower fasting insulin levels than the control group receiving high-fat diet without berries. Lingonberries, and also blackcurrants and bilberries, significantly decreased body fat content, hepatic lipid accumulation, and plasma levels of the inflammatory marker PAI-1, as well as mediated positive effects on glucose homeostasis. The group receiving a？ai displayed increased weight gain and developed large, steatotic livers. Quercetin glycosides were detected in the lingonberry and the blackcurrant diets. Conclusion. Lingonberries were shown to fully or partially prevent the detrimental metabolic effects induced by high-fat diet. Blackcurrants and bilberries had similar properties, but to a lower degree. We propose that the beneficial metabolic effects of lingonberries could be useful in preventing obesity and related disorders. 1. Introduction During the last decades, the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus has increased dramatically. This epidemic of lifestyle-related disorders is affecting all parts of the world, and 439 million people are estimated to suffer from diabetes mellitus in 2030 [1]. Obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes with 90% of affected patients being overweight or obese. Obesity is also associated with increased risk of various metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, chronic low-grade inflammation, dyslipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and altered gut microbiota can play a significant role in the development of obesity-related disorders [2–4]. Type 2 diabetes is a multifactorial disease; however, it appears clear that prevention is possible by avoiding overeating and a sedentary lifestyle to maintain a healthy body weight [5]. The difficulty for many individuals to comply with dietary and lifestyle changes makes it of great interest to identify new foods with well-established effects on preventing the development of obesity and thereby type 2 diabetes and its associated metabolic
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