- Berries are known for their potent antioxidant properties and their superfood status. New studies are showing that berries may be very effective for preventing heart attacks in women. The new analysis found that young and middle-aged women who ate three or more servings of blueberries and/or strawberries per week cut their heart attack risk by one-third.
- This same reduction of risk was also prevalent in women who ate foods that contained high levels of anthocyanins, which are antioxidants from the flavonoid family.
- Why do berries help?
- Many of the major diseases are caused or developed by chronic inflammation. Inflammation promotes free radicals, which lead to dangerous oxidation, cell damage, and more. The more these free radicals thrive, the more they multiply. The flavonoids in berries, which are part of a family compound called polyphenols, are what make berries so healthy. Polyphenols promote “the expression”of genes that reduce inflammation and also promote the body’s antioxidant system.
- The study
- The study was performed by a team from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of East Anglia. The team found that- Compared to women who ate blueberries and/or strawberries once a month or less – the women who ate the most blueberries and strawberries were 32 percent less like to have suffered a heart attack.
- Eating these fruits starting at young age may reduce the risk of heart attack when older. These benefits even apply to women who have a rich diet in other heart promoting fruits and vegetables, which means that berries become even more beneficial.
- “We have shown that even at an early age, eating more of these fruits may reduce risk of a heart attack later in life,” said lead author Aedín Cassidy, Ph.D., of the University of East Anglia.
- Berries are very easy to include in your daily diet. You can top your cereals with them, or add them to your smoothies.
- For the full article.
- For berries and heart health.
- For the health benefits of strawberries
Sources
- American Heart Association (AHA). Strawberries, blueberries may cut heart attack risk in women. January 14, 2013. Accessed at http://newsroom.heart.org/news/strawberries-blueberries-may-cut-heart-attack-risk-in-women
- Cassidy A, Mukamal KJ, Liu L, Franz M, Eliassen AH, Rimm EB. High anthocyanin intake is associated with a reduced risk of myocardial infarction in young and middle-aged women. Circulation. 2013 Jan 15;127(2):188-96. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.122408. Accessed at http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/127/2/188.abstract
- Cassidy A, O’Reilly ÉJ, Kay C, Sampson L, Franz M, Forman JP, Curhan G, Rimm EB. Habitual intake of flavonoid subclasses and incident hypertension in adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Feb;93(2):338-47. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.006783. Epub 2010 Nov 24.
- Joshipura KJ, Hung HC, Li TY, Hu FB, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Colditz G, Willett WC. Intakes of fruits, vegetables and carbohydrate and the risk of CVD. Public Health Nutr. 2009 Jan;12(1):115-21. doi: 10.1017/S1368980008002036. Epub 2008 Apr 15.
- Wedick NM, Pan A, Cassidy A, Rimm EB, Sampson L, Rosner B, Willett W, Hu FB, Sun Q, van Dam RM. Dietary flavonoid intakes and risk of type 2 diabetes in US men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Apr;95(4):925-33. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.028894. Epub 2012 Feb 22.
