Summer Treat Lowers Blood Pressure
Summer brings some of my favorite fruits.
In fact, just this morning, I enjoyed a fresh pomegranate that I picked from my backyard for breakfast.
But more than being a feast for your tastebuds, summer fruits offer unique health benefits that keep some of the most harmful conditions at bay.
In fact, eating one fruit, in particular, can directly impact blood pressure and boost cognitive function at the same time.
I hope it’s still strawberry season where you are.
If it is, I recommend taking a day trip to a local organic farm and picking to your heart’s content.
In addition to bursting with flavor, strawberries are ALSO brimming with nutrients that protect your heart and brain.
In a recent study, healthy adults from 66 to 78 ate 26 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder daily for 8 weeks.
You remove the water from freeze-dried powders but leave all the health-promoting nutrients behind.
After 8 weeks, participants experienced a:
- 2 percent increase in cognitive processing speed, a
- 6 percent decrease in systolic blood pressure, and a
- 2 percent increase in total antioxidant capacity.
Strawberries are especially high in antioxidants, vitamin C, folate, and potassium.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen strawberries showing off their heart-health benefits.
An earlier study found that munching on these tasty treats could lower your blood pressure AND improve endothelial (the tissues lining your heart and blood vessels) function.
And that can send your risk for heart attack and stroke plummeting.
You can catch up on that earlier report HERE if you missed it.
P.S. But first, don’t touch another strawberry UNTIL you read THIS!
SOURCE:
Tsang, M. (2023, July 24) “The Impact of Strawberries on Cognition and Cardiovascular Health of Older Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial,” presented at Nutrition 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society of Nutrition in Boston.
