Inclusion Criteria:
- Non-smoking men and women
- Aged 40-75
- BMI 19-38 kg/m2
Exclusion Criteria:
- Younger then 40 ears old or older than 75 years old
- BMI less than 19 or greater than 38
- Use of blood-thinning medications such as warfarin, dicumarol, or anisinidione
- Presence of kidney disease, liver disease, gout, certain cancers, untreated thyroid,
gastrointestinal, other metabolic diseases or malabsorption syndromes
- Type 2 diabetes requiring the use of oral antidiabetic agents or insulin
- Fasting triglycerides greater than 300 mg/dL
- Fasting glucose greater than 126 mg/dL
- History of eating disorders or other dietary patterns which are not consistent with
the dietary intervention (e.g. vegetarians, very low fat diets, high protein diets)
- Use of prescription of over-the-counter antiobesity medications or supplements during
and for at least 6 months prior to the start of the study or a history of a surgical
intervention for obesity
- Active cardiovascular disease
- Use of any tobacco products in the past 6 months
- Use of oral or IV antibiotics during the month preceding the study or during the
study
- Unwillingness to abstain from vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements for two weeks
prior to the start of the study
- Known (self-reported) allergy or adverse reaction to blackberries or gelatin
- Unable or unwilling to give informed consent or communicate with study staff
- Self-report of alcohol or substance abuse within the past 12 months and/or current
acute treatment or rehabilitation program for these problems (long-term participation
in Alcoholics Anonymous is not an exclusion)
- Other medical, psychiatric, or behavioral factors that in the judgment of the
Principal Investigator may interfere with study participation or the ability to
follow the intervention protocol