-
Strawberries mainly consist of water (91%) and carbohydrates (7.7%). They contain only minor amounts of fat (0.3%) and protein (0.7%).Benefits
-
Eating strawberries is associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases.
Strawberries may improve heart health, lower blood sugar levels, and help prevent cancer.
Heart health
Heart disease is the most common cause of death worldwide.
Studies have found a relationship between berries — or berry anthocyanins — and improved heart heath.
Large observational studies in thousands of people link berry consumption to a lower risk of heart-related deaths.
According to a study in middle-aged people with well-established risk factors for heart disease, berries may improve HDL (good) cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood platelets function (40Trusted Source).
Strawberries may also
- improve blood antioxidant status
- decrease oxidative stress
- reduce inflammation
- improve vascular function
- improve your blood lipid profile
- reduce the harmful oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol
The effects of freeze-dried strawberry supplements on type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome have been studied intensely — mainly in overweight or obese individuals.
After 4–12 weeks of supplementing, participants experienced a significant decrease in several major risk factors, including LDL (bad) cholesterol, inflammatory markers, and oxidized LDL particles (45Trusted Source, 46Trusted Source, 47Trusted Source, 48Trusted Source, 49Trusted Source).
Blood sugar regulation
When carbs are digested, your body breaks them down into simple sugars and releases them into your bloodstream.
Your body then starts secreting insulin, which tells your cells to pick up the sugar from your bloodstream and use it for fuel or storage.
Imbalances in blood sugar regulation and high-sugar diets are associated with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease (50Trusted Source, 51Trusted Source, 52Trusted Source).
Strawberries seem to slow down glucose digestion and reduce spikes in both glucose and insulin following a carb-rich meal, compared to a carb-rich meal without strawberries (53Trusted Source, 54Trusted Source, 55Trusted Source, 56Trusted Source).
Thus, strawberries may be particularly useful for preventing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Cancer prevention
Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells.
Cancer formation and progression is often linked to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation (57Trusted Source, 58Trusted Source).
A number of studies suggest that berries may help prevent several types of cancer through their ability to fight oxidative stress and inflammation (59Trusted Source, 60Trusted Source, 61Trusted Source).
Strawberries have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animals with mouth cancer and in human liver cancer cells (62Trusted Source, 63Trusted Source).
The protective effects of strawberries may be driven by ellagic acid and ellagitannins, which have been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells (64Trusted Source, 65Trusted Source).
More human research is needed to improve the understanding of the effects of strawberries on cancer before any solid conclusions can be reached.