According to recent research, women who consume regular quantities of fruit, such as: blueberries and strawberries are less at risk of experiencing heart-attacks.
These health benefits are produced by the rich-concentrations of compounds known as flavonoids – within the fruits, which can help arteries to resist the accumulation of harmful levels of plague, and can also be an excellent source of antioxidants and other nutrients. The flavonoids within strawberries and blueberries also contain high-concentrations of a flavonoid sub-group, known as, anthocyanins – which are also found in a range of fruit and vegetables you are likely to encounter on a regular basis, such as grapes, aubergines and green leaves.
According to the research, an increased consumption of such foodstuffs can lead to an enormously positive impact on health and wellbeing, and in particular – heart-health. During the studies, a sample of around 93,000 women in the UK and US was used, with an age range of 25-42. The women completed questionnaires relating to their diet, every four years for eighteen years in total, and during this period, 405 heart-attacks were recorded. However, women who ate foodstuffs rich in anthocyanin compositions, on a regular basis, such as blueberries and strawberries, were found to have a 32% less chance of experiencing a serious cardiac-episode, than those who did not.
The researchers assert that the findings demonstrate the massive health-benefits of eating certain foodstuffs, and that they should be eaten from an early-age in order to minimise the risk of heart-disease in later life. Despite this, it is important to note that the study did not address other chronic-illness risk factors such as age, high-blood-pressure, body-weight, alcohol and tobacco intake and prevalence of heart-disease within family-history.
Nonetheless the study does add credence to the importance of eating a healthy diet, and most medical and health organisations now encourage the regular consumptions of fruits, vegetables, pulses, whole-grains and other foods packed with nutrients.
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