Health benefits of fruits: Strawberry

By Olufunke 

I know someone who breaks out with boils anytime he eats fried ripe plantain. I have also seen a diabetic who landed in the hospital after eating pineapple. A very ripe fruit will raise your blood sugar more than the same fruit that is not ripe. This is because as fruits ripen, the starch in them is converted to sugar.

For example, green unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which does not raise blood sugar levels and may improve long-term blood sugar management. Yellow ripe bananas contain more sugar. A slightly ripe pawpaw will not cause blood sugar spikes the way a ripe pawpaw will.

This week, it is the turn of strawberry. It is botanically called Fragaria ananassa and it is in the Rosaceae family, the same family that the rose flower belongs to. The good news is that strawberries are grown here in Nigeria. In fact, while preparing for this article, I made calls and got the number of a strawberry grower in Jos, Plateau State.

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. They also contain decent amounts of folate (vitamin B9) and potassium. They have a glycemic index (GI) score of 40, which is relatively low. This means that strawberries should not lead to big spikes in blood sugar levels and are considered safe for people with diabetes.

This fruit is loaded with antioxidants, in fact, it has been ranked in the top 10 fruits in antioxidant capacity and this may be a key reason they may help with cancer prevention. The primary antioxidant is anthocyanin, which gives the fruit its colour. The amount of anthocyanin in strawberries increases as the fruit ripens. So, the redder the berry, the more antioxidants it contains.

In one small study, participants consumed two drinks a day, each made with 25 milligrams of freeze-dried strawberry powder blended with water.

That is about the same as eating 3.5 cups of fresh strawberries a day. After a month, the participants’ total cholesterol was 5% lower. The cholesterol-lowering results of that study were echoed in another study that gave participants the same amount of freeze-dried strawberry powder.

But this time, they consumed the drink for two months. Researchers compared the results to a group that just drank more water. Those who sipped the strawberry drink saw their cholesterol decrease by 10%.

A study published in April 2021 in Nutrients concluded that regular servings of strawberries significantly improved insulin resistance in adults with obesity and high LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol.

Eating strawberries may also reduce your chances of having a heart attack. A 2013 study from Harvard of nearly 100,000 young and middle-aged women found that eating at least three servings a week of strawberries reduced the risk of heart attack by 32 per cent. Researchers attributed the effect to high levels of antioxidants called anthocyanins in strawberries.

A 2012 study from the Annals of Neurology found that regularly eating strawberries may slow cognitive decline in older women. The researchers attributed this to high levels of flavonoids.

Few small studies have found that individuals diagnosed with depression had lower levels of folate compared to those without depression. Consuming more folate will not cure depression but meeting folate needs can help support depression treatment.

Strawberries are rich in folate, so it can be helpful in this regard. Also, its folate content makes it a good choice of fruit for women who are planning to get pregnant and those already pregnant.

Findings from a clinical trial suggest eating strawberries may help reduce blood sugar levels and inflammation, especially when consumed within two hours of a meal.

In a Finnish study, people who ate strawberries with a piece of white bread released 26% less insulin compared with eating bread with a cucumber.

Participants also ate the bread with other berries, including raspberries and cranberries. Only strawberries weakened the post-meal blood sugar spike. An animal study in the April 2019 Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that strawberry supplementation increased beneficial gut bacteria in mice.

According to a registered dietitian, Bailey Flora, MS, RDN, LD, strawberries give you a lot of nutritional value for very few calories, they are tasty but naturally low in sugar. That’s a combination that is hard to beat.

Strawberries are an antioxidant powerhouse, says Jenna Volpe, RDN, who practices in Austin, Texas. She went further to say that “adding strawberries to a balanced diet can potentially offer a wide array of benefits, ranging from cardiovascular support and inflammation reduction to cancer protection, a healthier gut, and more.”

Strawberries are loaded with flavonoids and other health-protective plant nutrients, so think of them as a super fruit, says Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, New York City-based plant-forward chef and culinary nutritionist.

“The vitamin C in strawberries is linked to immune health support,” explains Lauren Manaker, RDN, of Charleston, South Carolina.

Let us see some of the health benefits.

Strawberries are a top source of antioxidants, which can help reduce oxidative Stress. They may support cognitive function and reduce the risk of dementia. They are jam-packed with vitamin C to support a healthy immune system.

They can improve cholesterol levels. Compounds found in them can reduce inflammation. They may have prebiotic activity, which is beneficial for gut health. They may help improve blood sugar and insulin response.

Strawberries and their antioxidants can have beneficial effects on heart health. They help with optimal digestion. Strawberries might help with depression symptoms. They can help promote collagen production.

A study titled, ‘Strawberry and Human Health: Effects Beyond Antioxidant Activity’ by Francesca Giampieri et al, concluded that strawberry possesses a remarkable nutritional composition in terms of micronutrients, such as minerals, vitamin C, folates and non-nutrient elements, such as phenolic compounds, that are essential for human health.

A study titled, ‘Antidiabetic, Lipid Normalizing, and Nephroprotective Actions of the Strawberry: A Potent Supplementary Fruit’ by Pallavi Mandave et al concluded that the biochemical and molecular studies in chemically induced diabetic rats demonstrate that the strawberry extract, a concentrated source of polyphenolic flavonoids, fibre and phytosterols is a potential dietary fruit supplement that may be effective in the management of type 2 diabetes and its associated complications.

A study titled, ‘Chemoprevention of oral cancer by lyophilized strawberries’ by Bruce C Casto et al concluded that these experiments support previous studies in HCP that demonstrated a chemopreventive activity by black raspberries and show to our knowledge for the first time, that strawberries can inhibit tumour formation in an animal model of oral cancer.