While most people are familiar with blueberries as an addition to smoothies, cereals or pies, fewer may have heard about their recent use in a study aimed at determining the fruit’s effect on cardiovascular health.

Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry announced that laboratory rodents fed blueberry peels and the leftovers from blueberry processing tended to have better cholesterol levels than those given a blueberry-less diet.

Hamsters fed blueberries had between 22 and 27 percent lower cholesterol counts, said a team at the Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California, which is the prime research branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While scientists were unsure which of the fruit’s substances led to the dramatic improvement in circulatory health, they suggested that the fiber contained in the berries might have been involved.

Likewise, they noted, blueberries contain large amounts of polyphenols, a class of compounds, which are sometimes added to dietary supplements, that has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

A similar study conducted earlier this year found that mice fed polyphenol-rich blueberries produced fewer fat cells.