Strawberries should be included in your five-a-day diet of fruits and vegetables. They improve the quality of your blood, and neutralise ‘free radicals’ that can accelerate ageing and your general physical condition.
It’s a big bowl of strawberries you need to eat, however. Researchers have tested the beneficial effects of 500 grams – that’s just over 1lb – eaten every day. Those who followed the diet started seeing improvements in the antioxidant levels of their blood after just four days.
The research team want to find out if similar beneficial effects can be seen at lower amounts, such as 150g or 250g a day.
Researchers from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy fed 12 volunteers 500 grams of Sveva strawberries every day for a month. Over that time, the antioxidant levels of their blood increased dramatically and free radicals were neutralised.
The researchers say that these changes in the blood reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, and have a positive effect on the ageing process.
(Source: Food Chemistry, 2011; 128: 180).
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