Health Benefits of Strawberry and It’s Nutritional value

Strawberry is a wonderful sweet yet slightly sour fruit. While widely believed to be a berry, it actually belongs to the rose (Rosacea) family. It is perfect with no waxy skin to peel or no seeds to discard. To top it all, it pairs beautifully with chocolate and cream.

For more indulgent options, one can pair it with pinot noir, a par excellence experience indeed. Like its ubiquitous presence, it has many health benefits. In this article, we will see the different benefits related to strawberries, how they are filled with different vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, and how these elements combine together to provide different health benefits to the consumer.

Nutritional Information for Vitamin C

Strawberries are packed with different antioxidants in the form of phytochemicals, vitamin C, and fiber. What’s more, these come with a low glycemic index, which makes them safe carbs for people having insulin resistance, such as people with diabetes type two.

1) Rich in Vitamin C

Instead of buying the overpriced vitamin gum drops, you can eat a bowl of tasty strawberries and get much-needed vitamin C. Vitamin C is a proven cell protector and guards the cells against oxidative stress. It also aids in boosting cell function. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is helpful in the prevention of scurvy or bleeding gums disease. What’s more, vitamin C is essential for the integrity of collagen protein in the body. With the presence of vitamin C in our body, our skin is able to retain its integrity.

People with cellulite appearance, wrinkles, or dull or pigmented skin might want to increase their intake of vitamin C in the body. Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C content, which makes them a good dietary source for the vitamin. People looking to get a good glow on their skin, have whiter teeth and healthier gum, and prevent the appearance of cellulite should go for more strawberries.

2) Rich Source of Polyphenols

Although “superfoods” are on the rise, few know the active ingredients that are so potent and beneficial. Polyphenols are a gift from nature, and it “smoothes out” so many cellular pathways that it has been shown to combat and guard against cancer. It literally protects your cells from going awry. For example, we see strawberry contains anthocyanins in a lot of amounts. These are considered to be responsible for the different colors of flowers and fruits. These are usually present in the skin of strawberries, but you may also find anthocyanins present in the flesh of the fruit. The content relates to the intensity of the color. So, if you are consuming a ripe red strawberry, you can expect a high amount of anthocyanins present in it. These compounds are also great for maintaining cardiac health.

3) Ellagic Acid and Ellagitannins

Strawberries come with high amounts of antioxidants such as ellagitannins and ellagic acid. Just like anthocyanins, these are also highly helpful for improving heart health. Compared to other fruits, the levels of ellagic acid in strawberries are high. These come under the umbrella of the antioxidants present in strawberries. Ellagitannins found in strawberries are thought to be helpful in reducing the risk of cancer and fighting bacteria in the body. Sanguiin H 6 is present in the most amount in the strawberries.

4) Fiber and Total Carbs

Strawberries are high in their moisture content, so the total carbohydrate content in them is relatively lower, less than 8 grams every 100 grams. The overall net digestible carb content is less than 6 grams present in the same serving size. Most of the strawberries’ carbohydrates derive from simple sugars, including sucrose, fructose, and glucose. However, they also come with a handsome amount of fiber as well. Strawberries come with a glycemic index score of 40. It is considered a low Glycemic Index food. So, even if you are a diabetic, it wouldn’t shoot your blood glucose levels drastically.

What’s more, it has about 26% dietary fiber present in it. An ounce of 100 grams of strawberries served comes with about 2 grams of dietary fiber that includes both soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. These fibers are helpful for maintaining good overall health, maintaining blood glucose levels, and providing gut microbiota with adequate nutrition to grow. What’s more, they are also helpful as they help prevent inflammatory conditions and help in weight loss as well.

Health Benefits of Strawberries

Strawberries come with an enriched array of different nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Let’s see some health benefits of strawberries that come with these different nutrients.

1) Improved Cardiovascular Health

Studies have shown a relationship between strawberries and better cardiovascular health. We see in different observational research studies on a large scale of people linking the consumption of strawberries to a lowered risk of deaths related to the heart. A study being conducted on people in their middle ages showed that the intake of berries such as strawberries helped in improving HDL cholesterol, blood platelets, and blood pressure in people having established risk factors associated with heart disease.

Strawberries might also help in improving these biochemical and physiological profiles:

• Improvement of blood antioxidant levels
• Decrease in the body’s oxidative stress
• Reduction in body inflammation
• Improvement in cardiovascular function
• Improvement in blood lipid profile
• Reduction in overall oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the body

The overall effects of strawberry supplements on type two diabetes as well as metabolic syndrome have also been studied in immense detail, especially in individuals having excess body weight. After about 12 weeks of supplementation, the study participants experienced a  significantly decreased level of different risk factors, including inflammatory markers, cholesterol, and oxidized LDL cholesterol particles as well.

2) Regulation of Blood Glucose Levels

With the digestion of carbs in the body, these are broken down into simple, digestible sugars and are released into the bloodstream. Your body will start to secrete insulin that directs your cells to take the sugar present in your bloodstream and utilize it as fuel for storage. An imbalance in the blood glucose levels and an intake of high sugar foods are linked with an increased risk of different morbidities such as heart disease, cancer, type two diabetes, and obesity.

Strawberries are shown helpful in slowing down the digestion of glucose and reducing the spikes in the insulin and glucose in the body after a meal full of carbohydrates in comparison to a meal without strawberries in it.

Therefore, strawberries might be especially helpful in the prevention of metabolic syndrome as well as type two diabetes.

3) Prevention of Cancer

Cancer is recognized as a disease, which is characterized by the unprogrammed growth of cells in the body, causing tumors and metastasis. The progression of cancer and formation is associated with an increased level of oxidative stress in the body, which leads to chronic inflammation. There are plenty of studies showing that strawberries might help in the prevention of different types of cancer with their ability to fight against oxidative stress as well as inflammation.

Strawberries are shown to prevent the formation of tumors in animals having oral cancer and in human subjects having liver cancer cells. The overall protective effects of strawberries might be driven through the antioxidants called ellagitannins and ellagic acid, which are shown to prevent the growth of cancer cells in the body.

4) Prevent Premature Aging

Collagen is an important protein that helps maintain the integrity of several tissues, including the skin. When there is a lack of collagen, wrinkles, and cellulite often appear in the deficient individual. It turns out that deficiency of vitamin C plays a huge role in collagen loss in the body. Strawberries are fueled with ascorbic acid or vitamin C content. By taking strawberries regularly, you are able to prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on your skin.

You will also note a glow in your skin, which indicates better circulation of antioxidants towards your skin. By consuming strawberries regularly, you are able to look younger, fresher, and brighter. People having a dull complexion or pigmented skin tone might also want to go for more strawberries in their diet to achieve a healthy glow.

Final Word:

However, there is a need for more research on human subjects to bring improvement in the understanding of the health benefits of strawberries on cancer before there is any solid conclusion drawn. As you can see, strawberries are shown to be helpful in decreasing the risk of cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes.