Strawberries may help protect against fatty deposits that cause heart attacks and strokes, study suggests
Eating a bowl of fresh strawberries could prevent the buildup of fatty deposits that cause heart attacks and strokes, scientists have found.
The vitamin C-rich fruit protects against potentially fatal artery blockages caused by high cholesterol, their study showed, and benefits can be seen within an hour of consumption.
The British eat almost 200,000 tons of strawberries every year; Wimbledon attendees alone consume more than 38 tons during the tournament.
Scientists at Setsunan University in Osaka, Japan wanted to see how soon after eating the fruit the health effects became apparent.
Twenty-three healthy volunteers, all young women in their early twenties, were given 500g of strawberry puree or a sugary drink.
Strawberries, shown here for sale at the Wimbledon tennis championships on July 9, could help stop heart attacks and strokes, research suggests.
Actress Cara Delevigne eats strawberries and cream at Wimbledon on July 10
Half an hour later they took blood samples, repeating the process every 30 minutes for another four hours.
The results, published in the Journal of Nutritional Science, showed that the strawberry group had fewer signs of a buildup of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, than those given the sugar-flavored treat.
LDL is the harmful form of cholesterol that can cause blood vessels to narrow and become blocked.
Clots that form later can trigger a heart attack or stroke.
These benefits became apparent within an hour of taking the strawberry puree and lasted for at least four hours afterward.
In a report on their finding, the researchers said: “Strawberries are an important source of nutritional compounds and studies show that high consumption of fruits like these is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.”
