By: Karolina Starczak

Sep 29, 2009

Skipping out on strawberries? You may be missing out on more than a little vitamin C and fiber. According to a recent study in Nutrition Journal, the potent antioxidants found in these red berries may have important heart healthy benefits.

The study found that woman who consumed 50 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder significantly lowered their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in only four weeks. All of the 16 participants recruited for the study had at least 3 characteristics of metabolic syndrome, which is a group of risk factors that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Each woman had a BMI greater than 30, waist circumference over 35 inches, low levels of good cholesterol (HDL), and elevated blood pressure, triglycerides and total cholesterol.

During the four weeks, the women drank two 25 grams cups daily of freeze-dried strawberry powder mixed with water. Just to give you a better idea of how much the women were consuming, the 50 grams of strawberry powder used in the study is equivalent to about three and a half cups of fresh strawberries eaten daily. Aside from drinking the strawberry drink twice daily, the participants changed nothing in their daily routine and stuck to their regular eating and exercise habits.

After the four weeks, there was no considerable difference in the participants’ blood pressure, weight, or blood sugar, but total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly lower! Looks like strawberries may have just become our hearts’ new best friend. While fruits and vegetables have always protected our hearts, strawberries are unique because the flavanoids found within them are a very powerful form of antioxidants that may reduce fatty buildup in arterial walls. The cholesterol lowering effect may also come from the vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and fiber naturally found in strawberries.

If something as simple as strawberries can boost heart health, why is heart disease so common? Unfortunately, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reveals that only about half of US adults consume enough fruit to meet recommendations. The worst part is that many of us get our “fruit” from sugar packed fruit juices and with the recent news linking the sugar found in sweetened juices to an increase in blood pressure, it might not be a bad idea to cross juice off of your next shopping list. For all of us busy bees who find buying fresh fruit to be a challenge, try grabbing a bag of frozen strawberries to reap all the heart healthy benefits without worrying about spoiled fruit lying around in the fridge.

What are your creative ways to add strawberries into you day?

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