“Besides being delicious, there seems to be another reason to enjoy strawberries. Recent research from the State University of San Diego has found that consuming this favorite fruit can lower blood pressure, a risk factor for deadly heart diseases and strokes.
Berries have long been considered a ‘superfood’ for their numerous health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which contribute to certain diseases. The latest study focused on strawberries, revealing that daily fruit consumption can effectively lower blood pressure.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can increase the risk of various serious health conditions, including heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. Additionally, this summer food has been found to improve cognitive functions and boost antioxidant capacity.
Antioxidants counteract unstable molecules called free radicals, which can damage DNA and cell membranes and contribute to the development of diseases. The study, presented at the annual Nutrition 2023 meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, involved 35 healthy men aged 66 to 78.
They either received 26 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder – equivalent to two servings of fresh strawberries – or a control powder daily for eight weeks. After the eight weeks, researchers found that those who consumed strawberries increased their cognitive processing speed by 5.2%, lowered systolic blood pressure by 3.6%, and increased their antioxidant capacity by 10.2% compared to those taking the control powder.
Commenting on the findings, Shirin Hooshmand, the lead researcher of the study, mentioned that they expected the improvement in antioxidant capacity because strawberries are a good source of vitamin C. They also anticipated observing some improvement in cognitive processing speed based on their hypothesis.
She told Medical News Today, “Previous published research has already shown some of the acute and long-term benefits of strawberries for heart and vascular health in different populations, so it’s great to confirm some of those findings. This study shows that consuming strawberries can enhance cognitive functions and improve cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension. We are encouraged that a simple dietary change, such as adding strawberries to the daily diet, can improve these outcomes in older adults.”
Previous studies have also demonstrated that regular strawberry consumption can protect the brain from dementia by reducing inflammation.”
