Drug & supplement interaction

Blueberry + Insulin

Insulin brand name: NovoRapid Insulin.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Minor

Blueberry has a minor interaction with Insulin. Theoretically, blueberries or blueberry leaf extracts might increase the risk of hypoglycemia when taken with antidiabetes drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodUnlikely
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Blueberry and Insulin

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Insulin

Insulin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Blueberry interacts with.

Theoretically, blueberries or blueberry leaf extracts might increase the risk of hypoglycemia when taken with antidiabetes drugs.
Animal and in vitro research suggests that blueberry and/or blueberry leaf extracts can lower blood glucose levels.
Severity Minor Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist: insulin already lowers your blood sugar, and some early lab and animal research hints that concentrated blueberry extracts might nudge blood sugar down a little too. If both worked in the same direction at once, in theory you could land lower than expected, which is what we call hypoglycemia. With NovoRapid (a fast-acting mealtime insulin), that could show up as shakiness, sweating, a racing heart, confusion, or feeling lightheaded.

Now the reassuring part: this is rated minor and unlikely, and it comes only from test-tube and animal studies, not people. Eating blueberries as food is very unlikely to cause any problem. If you're considering a high-dose blueberry supplement, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist and keeping an eye on your sugar readings.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Cignarella A, Nastasi M, Cavalli E, Puglisi L. Novel lipid-lowering properties of Vaccinium myrtillus L. leaves, a traditional antidiabetic treatment, in several models of rat dyslipidaemia: a comparison with ciprofibrate. Thromb Res 1996;84:311-22. PubMed
  2. Martineau, L. C., Couture, A., Spoor, D., Benhaddou-Andaloussi, A., Harris, C., Meddah, B., Leduc, C., Burt, A., Vuong, T., Mai, Le P., Prentki, M., Bennett, S. A., Arnason, J. T., and Haddad, P. S. Anti-diabetic properties of the Canadian lowbush bluebe
  3. Vuong, T., Martineau, L. C., Ramassamy, C., Matar, C., and Haddad, P. S. Fermented Canadian lowbush blueberry juice stimulates glucose uptake and AMP-activated protein kinase in insulin-sensitive cultured muscle cells and adipocytes. Can J Physiol Pharma

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Blueberry Also Interacts With Other Medications

Blueberry has 87 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Insulin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 87 No known interaction 2,743 (incl. Insulin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Blueberry

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Blueberry. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Insulin

This page covers Blueberry only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Insulin page lists 242 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Chelation Therapy Products (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 211 moderate · 29 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Insulin page

“Someone injecting insulin (NovoRapid) is often the same person browsing supplements sold for blood sugar support, which is exactly why this list warrants genuine caution. Nearly all 242 entries push glucose one way or the other, most often further down, stacking with insulin and raising the risk of hypoglycemia, meaning dangerously low…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Insulin interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Blueberry as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 5,076 real supplement products containing Blueberry, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Blueberry. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Insulin too, on top of Blueberry — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Blueberry and Insulin Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Blueberry
Top 5%

#53 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Insulin
Top 25%

#564 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Blueberry

What is Blueberry?

  • Antioxidant support
  • Heart health
  • Brain and memory health
  • Blood sugar support
  • Eye health
  • Urinary health

Blueberries are a nutritious fruit rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, and eating them as part of a balanced diet is healthy and safe for most people. Concentrated supplements are marketed for heart, brain, and blood sugar health, but the evidence is mostly early and not strong enough to promise specific benefits. Enjoy blueberries as food, and talk to your pharmacist before using high-dose extracts.

Read the full Blueberry monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Blueberry

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Blueberry — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
87Minor
2,742No known interaction
87 Minor 2,742 No interaction
Minor

87 interactions

Showing 60 of 87 minor interactions — see all 87 on the Blueberry page.

No interaction 2,742 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Blueberry against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,742 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Blueberry list.

See the full Blueberry interactions page
See every supplement checked against Insulin, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Blueberry and Insulin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Blueberry with Insulin?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Blueberry and Insulin interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Insulin and Blueberry?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.