When it comes to healthy snacks, fruit is one of the top choices. In particular, red berries are bursting with vitamins and other health-boosting properties, according to a new scientific study.
The humble looking fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and cranberries contain properties which can cut the risk of a number of health conditions. Such ailments include obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension.
Published in the Foods journal, researchers were impressed by the health benefits of red berries - which are abundant in vitamins, carotenoids and antioxidants - that can protect you from disease and enhance your immune system.The red fruits also contain phenolics, which can increase the ability to fight inflammation.
Researchers found that strawberries possessed particularly high antioxidant properties. The soft fruit, worth more than £769 million to the British economy, was also found to provide magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, a range of polyphenols, or micronutrients, as well as some zinc, iron and dietary fibre, reports Wales Online.
Dr Emma Derbyshire, public health nutritionist and adviser to British Berry Growers, said: “It is refreshing to read a new scientific publication that focuses solely on red fruits."
According to a paper published in Annals of Neurology, there’s strong scientific evidence that berries positively affect the brain, and may even help prevent cognitive decline. Researchers examined 6,010 women aged over 70 and discovered that those who ate berries, including strawberries, delayed their cognitive ageing by up to two-and-a-half years.
They believed the slower cognitive decline rate was linked to increased anthocyanidin and total flavonoid intake through their berry consumption.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are an incredibly common bacterial infection, particularly among women. Cranberry juice has often been touted to reduce symptoms.
"It is likely that compounds in cranberries help keep bacteria from adhering to surfaces in the bladder," explained Philadelphia-based sports dietitian Kelly Jones to Everyday Health. It is thought these compounds, flavonoids and phenolic acids, may help to calm inflammation and reduce gut bacteria.
Healthline says the juice may also decrease the number of bacteria in your bladder and gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to UTIs. if your goal is to reduce your "cholesterol" and prevent heart disease, then pretty much any kind of berry, raspberries, pomegranates, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, can help.
In fact, according to a 2016 meta-analysis published in Scientific Reports, consuming berries every day - whether fresh, juiced or in a supplement - was associated with a four-point reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, what many dub as "bad cholesterol".
Blueberries may not look like much, but they are jam-packed with antioxidants. According to WebMD, they can help prevent cholesterol oxidising or building up in your body, which can be very bad for your heart.
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