Until XIXth century strawberries were an exclusive produce and only the richest could afford to enjoy the sweetness of this red heart-shaped fruit. Today strawberries are one of the most popular seasonal fruit. This is mostly as a result of their amazing taste. However, these berries have much more to offer. They bring a lot of health benefits, related mostly to their antioxidant properties, but not only. Enjoy the strawberries whilst in season, and in a moment you’ll find out about all the things your body is benefiting from!
A lot of grocery produce is considered as a good source of antioxidants. Strawberries belong to this group. American scientists have put together a list of best antioxidants. When the antioxidant properties were measured and presented as a 100g per product calculation, strawberries took the 27th place. They were a 4th fruit after currants, cranberries and raspberries. However, we need to take into consideration of how much we are actually able to eat of each produce in one seating. A lot of spice has high antioxidant properties, but indeed it is not possible to eat 100g of spice with one meal. When we present the antioxidant level using a standard portion of a given product, strawberries took an impressive 3rd place! The first and second was taken by cranberries and walnuts respectively. Additionally, strawberries take a 3rd place (after raspberries and grapes) as the best source of mangan. Mangan is considered to be a fundamental antioxidant mineral, because it is necessary in order to carry out the process of neutralisation of reactive forms of oxygen.
The health benefits of strawberries related to heart and cardiovascular disease are best known by scientists. Our venous and arterial systems need a daily antioxidant protection in order to prevent damage to the walls of the blood vessels, and the strawberries are incredibly helpful here. The research has indicated that if we take into consideration the amount of consumed fruit, strawberries are in the 1st place as the best source of vitamin C. Even though there is a lot more other fruit that contain more vitamin C per 100g, we consume so many strawberries that they become our principal source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is known for its antioxidant properties having a positive influence on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Scientific studies show that the vast variety of phytonutrients contained in strawberries causes the interaction of these compounds, resulting in benefits related to prevention of cardiovascular disease. Strawberries lower level of lipids in blood, by combining cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (bad cholesterol); Reduce fat oxidation in the blood cell veins and reduce the activity of ACE enzyme (hyperactivity of this enzyme causes elevated blood pressure). Strawberries bring all these benefits already after the first month of consumption of this fruit in the amount of 3-4 glasses per week. We reach even better and long-lasting results after 3 months of consuming strawberries.
Realising the enormous antioxidant properties of strawberries, it is not surprising that researchers have begun investigating the effects of these berries on inflammatory and cancerous conditions. It turned out that the level of C-reactive protein (i.e. inflammatory marker) is significantly lower amongst people eating a glass of strawberries 3-4 days a week. Long-lasting inflammation is often the cause of cancer. The beneficial properties of strawberries in cancer prevention are well documented for breast, ovarian, colorectal and esophageal cancer. Among the various substances contained in strawberries, we owe this health benefit mostly to eleconic acid and elagitin. The exact mechanism of these phytonutrients is unknown, but we know that they increase the efficiency of enzymes responsible for neutralisation of reactive forms of oxygen.
For a long time, regulating blood glucose levels has been a great area of interest of many scientists. However, only recently a very interesting relationship between strawberries, sugar and blood glucose level has been noticed. As you probably know, intake of simple sugars can lead to very adverse changes in blood. Initially, we observe a very large jump in blood glucose levels, followed by a sharp decrease, often to a level lower than the initial.
Interestingly, recent research has shown that strawberries eaten with a meal make the sugar level rise to lower values, and the growth itself lasts longer! Scientists suspect that polyphenols contained in strawberries are responsible for this positive effect on the regulation of blood glucose. Already 150 grams of strawberries (one glass) brings the desired benefits. This is excellent news for healthy people, as well as for people with an increased risk for type II diabetes or those already suffering from this condition.
Strawberries also have many other health benefits. It has been observed that these berries support mental processes, as well as improve balance and movement coordination.The benefits of strawberries can also be appreciated by patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Scientists have found that salicylic acid (used to produce aspirin) contained in strawberries reduces inflammation of the digestive system. Other conditions in which strawberries may be helpful are rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory eye diseases. Whilst, studies examining the relationship between strawberries and these diseases are only in the early stages, benefits are already noticeable.
No matter how you are looking at them, strawberries bring us a lot of health! So time to enjoy the season! Add these sweet heart-shaped fruit to smoothie, porridge, or green salad!
