Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) are bright red berries famous for their juicy and sweet taste. They are rich in vitamin C, manganese, folate (vitamin B9) and potassium.
Strawberries can slow down the digestion of glucose and reduce spikes in blood sugar and insulin following a carbohydrate-rich meal, which can help in the management of diabetes.[1,2,3,4]An animal study found that they can inhibit tumor formation in oral cancer.[5] Clinical studies suggest that they can also decrease tumor formation in liver cancer cells.[6]
Ellagic acid and ellagitannins (antioxidants) present in strawberries could be responsible for their cancer-protective effects.[7,8]
Strawberries For Heart Disease
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Studies show that berries can improve heart health.[9,10,11,12] A study done on middle-aged people with established risk of heart disease found that berries increased HDL (good) cholesterol, lowered blood pressure, and improved the blood platelet function.[13]
Strawberries have antioxidants that decrease oxidative stress, stop inflammation and decrease the levels of fat in the blood. They also reduce the harmful oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, thus lowering heart disease risk.[14,15,16,17,18]
How To Use Them
- Eat eight to 10 strawberries daily to keep your heart healthy.
For more interesting stories, visit our Health page and read about other Natural Remedies here.
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References:
1. Törrönen R, Sarkkinen E, Tapola N, Hautaniemi E, Kilpi K, Niskanen L. Berries modify the postprandial plasma glucose response to sucrose in healthy subjects. Br J Nutr. 2010 Apr;103(8):1094-7. doi: 10.1017/S0007114509992868. Epub 2009 Nov 24. PubMed PMID: 19930765.
2. Edirisinghe I, Banaszewski K, Cappozzo J, Sandhya K, Ellis CL, Tadapaneni R, Kappagoda CT, Burton-Freeman BM. Strawberry anthocyanin and its association with postprandial inflammation and insulin. Br J Nutr. 2011 Sep;106(6):913-22. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511001176. Epub 2011 May 16. PubMed PMID: 21736853.
3. Törrönen R, Sarkkinen E, Niskanen T, Tapola N, Kilpi K, Niskanen L. Postprandial glucose, insulin and glucagon-like peptide 1 responses to sucrose ingested with berries in healthy subjects. Br J Nutr. 2012 May;107(10):1445-51. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511004557. Epub 2011 Sep 20. PubMed PMID: 21929838.
4. Törrönen R, Kolehmainen M, Sarkkinen E, Poutanen K, Mykkänen H, Niskanen L. Berries reduce postprandial insulin responses to wheat and rye breads in healthy women. J Nutr. 2013 Apr;143(4):430-6. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.169771. Epub 2013 Jan 30. PubMed PMID: 23365108.
5. Casto BC, Knobloch TJ, Galioto RL, Yu Z, Accurso BT, Warner BM. Chemoprevention of oral cancer by lyophilized strawberries. Anticancer Res. 2013 Nov;33(11):4757-66. PubMed PMID: 24222110; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4102317.
6. Meyers KJ, Watkins CB, Pritts MP, Liu RH. Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of strawberries. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Nov 5;51(23):6887-92. PubMed PMID: 14582991.
7. Pinto Mda S, de Carvalho JE, Lajolo FM, Genovese MI, Shetty K. Evaluation of antiproliferative, anti-type 2 diabetes, and antihypertension potentials of ellagitannins from strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) using in vitro models. J Med Food. 2010 Oct;13(5):1027-35. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0257. PubMed PMID: 20626254.
8. Xue H, Aziz RM, Sun N, Cassady JM, Kamendulis LM, Xu Y, Stoner GD, Klaunig JE. Inhibition of cellular transformation by berry extracts. Carcinogenesis. 2001 Feb;22(2):351-6. Erratum in: Carcinogenesis 2001 May;22(5):831-3. PubMed PMID: 11181460.
9. Basu A, Rhone M, Lyons TJ. Berries: emerging impact on cardiovascular health. Nutr Rev. 2010 Mar;68(3):168-77. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00273.x. Review. PubMed PMID: 20384847; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3068482.
10. Ellis CL, Edirisinghe I, Kappagoda T, Burton-Freeman B. Attenuation of meal-induced inflammatory and thrombotic responses in overweight men and women after 6-week daily strawberry (Fragaria) intake. A randomized placebo-controlled trial. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2011;18(4):318-27. Epub 2011 Jan 13. PubMed PMID: 21242652.
11. Chun OK, Chung SJ, Claycombe KJ, Song WO. Serum C-reactive protein concentrations are inversely associated with dietary flavonoid intake in U.S. adults. J Nutr. 2008 Apr;138(4):753-60. PubMed PMID: 18356331.
12. Wallace TC. Anthocyanins in cardiovascular disease. Adv Nutr. 2011 Jan;2(1):1-7. doi: 10.3945/an.110.000042. Epub 2011 Jan 10. Review. PubMed PMID: 22211184; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3042791.
13. Erlund I, Koli R, Alfthan G, Marniemi J, Puukka P, Mustonen P, Mattila P, Jula A. Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Feb;87(2):323-31. PubMed PMID: 18258621.
14. Mazza GJ. Anthocyanins and heart health. Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2007;43(4):369-74. Review. PubMed PMID: 18209270.
15. Basu A, Nguyen A, Betts NM, Lyons TJ. Strawberry as a functional food: an evidence-based review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014;54(6):790-806. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.608174. Review. PubMed PMID: 24345049.
16. Huntley AL. The health benefits of berry flavonoids for menopausal women: cardiovascular disease, cancer and cognition. Maturitas. 2009 Aug 20;63(4):297-301. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.05.005. Epub 2009 Jun 10. Review. PubMed PMID: 19520526.
17. Henning SM, Seeram NP, Zhang Y, Li L, Gao K, Lee RP, Wang DC, Zerlin A, Karp H, Thames G, Kotlerman J, Li Z, Heber D. Strawberry consumption is associated with increased antioxidant capacity in serum. J Med Food. 2010 Feb;13(1):116-22. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0048. PubMed PMID: 20136444.
18. Tulipani S, Alvarez-Suarez JM, Busco F, Bompadre S, Quiles JL, Mezzetti B, Battino M. Strawberry consumption improves plasma antioxidant status and erythrocyte resistance to oxidative haemolysis in humans. Food Chem. 2011 Sep 1;128(1):180-6. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.03.025. Epub 2011 Mar 29. PubMed PMID: 25214346.
