Berry Consumption Linked to Reduction in Heart Attack Risk
High levels of flavonoid subclass, anthocyanins, might help dilate arteries and counter plaque buildup.
Online, February 15, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of East Anglia recently looked at diet surveys of 93,600 women, ages 25 to 42, collected over a period of 18 years, and found those who ate three or more servings of blueberries and strawberries a week experienced a decreased risk of heart attack of over 30 percent.
Blueberries and strawberries contain high levels of naturally occurring compounds called dietary flavonoids that are also found in grapes, wine, blackberries, eggplant and other fruits and vegetables, all with cardiovascular benefits. Reporting in the journal Circulation, the researchers said blueberries and strawberries contain high levels of a specific subclass of flavonoids called anthocyanins that might help dilate arteries and counter the buildup of plaque, among other potential cardiovascular benefits.
Researchers said that the findings were independent of other known risk factors, such as age, high blood pressure, family history of heart attack, body mass, exercise, smoking, caffeine or alcohol intake. Women who reported eating blueberries and strawberries were shown to have a lower risk even among women who ate a variety of other fruits and vegetables.
"Eating a wide variety of fresh, whole, natural foods is the best way to get the optimal amount of nutrients," say boomer generation health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel, authors of the books TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (April 2011, BSH) and The TurboCharged Mind (January 2012, BSH). "Scientists often say that the number of undiscovered yet likely essential compounds in fruits and vegetables, is greater than the ones we know about. Supplements will never replace the need to eat real, whole and natural foods."
SOURCE: http://turbocharged.us.com/berries-and-heart-health/
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