Must we hear again how important it is to eat our fruits and vegetables? Yes. Especially berries in this case.
A large prospective study showed that women aged 25-42 reduced the risk of a heart attack by 32% by eating more than 3 servings of strawberries or blueberries each week compared to women who rarely ate fruits in their diet. That’s 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries 4 days a week!!
The dietary flavonoids in berries have been well known to help reduce inflammation and stabilize plaque. The other major effects of these flavonoids is how they benefit endothelial function and blood pressure in women. Where men have obstructive atherosclerotic plaque that causes most heart attacks and stroke, women tend to have endothelial damage to the coronary arteries. The increased thickness in the vessels represents arterial injury and disease that make it a conducive environment for plaque formation. These berries really benefit this endothelial dysfunction.
The results of this study does not advocate the use of flavonoid supplements. It only suggests that a diet that includes fruits and vegetables is healthy and can ward of heart disease. So find ways to include berries in your diet…add them to your cereal, in your dessert, juice them, or just eat them as a snack. They taste good and really are good for you!
Berries Ward Off MI in Women: “”
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