Strawberries!

Small Fruits with Big Health Impacts

by Keri Wiginton, and medically reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD

Strawberries are a favourite summer fruit. They appear in everything from yoghurt to desserts and salads. They’re a lowglycaemic food, meaning they have little effect on blood sugar. This makes them a tasty option for people looking to control or lower their glucose levels. June and July are the best months to pick fresh strawberries, but they’re available in supermarkets year-round. They’re delicious raw or cooked in recipes ranging from sweet to savoury.

Are Strawberries Berries?

This member of the rose family isn’t really a fruit or a berry—strawberries are actually the enlarged receptacle of a flower. Grown in temperate climates across South America, North America, Asia, and Europe, they’re one of the most popular berry fruits in the world.

Are

Strawberries Good for You?

There’s a lot to love about these sweet snacks!

They’re lower in calories and sugar than fruits like apples or bananas, yet they’re high in fibre and other key nutrients. The health benefits of strawberries are plentiful. They naturally deliver vitamins, fibre, and particularly high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols - without any sodium, fat, or cholesterol.

They are among the top 20 high-antioxidant fruits and are a good source of manganese and potassium. Just one serving, about eight berries, provides more vitamin C than an orange. Strawberries also have minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, folate, and magnesium, along with antioxidants called anthocyanins. Those are healthful plant compounds that give strawberries their red colour. The amount of anthocyanin goes up as the fruit ripens. That means the redder the fruit, the more antioxidants it has.

Health Benefits of Strawberries

The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in strawberries provide important health benefits. For example, strawberries are rich in vitamin C and polyphenols, antioxidant compounds that may help prevent some diseases. The antioxidant compounds found in strawberries protect cells and tissue in your body by neutralising unstable molecules called free radicals. Too many free radicals roaming around in your body can lead to oxidative stress, an imbalance that can harm cells and tissues. By curbing free radicals and oxidative stress, the plant chemicals in strawberries may lower high levels of inflammation that can hurt your immune system and contribute to several health conditions, including obesity.

Improved insulin sensitivity

The polyphenols in strawberries improve insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic adults. Not only are strawberries low in sugar themselves, but they may also help you metabolise other forms of glucose.

Skin protection

Strawberries have anti-inflammatory effects that may help prevent skin damage. In one small study, strawberry-based cosmetic treatments protected skin exposed to harmful ultraviolet A radiation, especially when used in combination with the coenzyme Q10.

Osteoarthritis management

One small study showed the anti-inflammatory benefits of strawberries can also help protect other parts of your body, including your joints.

Lowered risk of cardiovascular disease

Researchers have found that strawberries may promote heart health in a number of ways. Along with helping improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin, they may lower fats in your blood called triglycerides and lower total and LDL cholesterol. LDL is the “bad” kind of cholesterol. Regularly eating them may also protect your heart by helping your blood vessels work better and lowering your blood pressure.

Better gut health

Eating high fibre foods like fruits can help you have regular bowel movements. Strawberries also serve as a prebiotic. That means you feed “good” gut bacteria when you eat them. Researchers have found that a healthy gut microbiome can help your body better use antioxidants, like the anthocyanin found in strawberries.

Possible lowered risk of cancer

People who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables are generally less likely to get cancer compared with people who eat less nutrient-rich foods. What’s more, certain antioxidants found in strawberries may slow the growth of cancer cells. But scientists are still trying to pinpoint exactly how chemical compounds found in strawberries may aid in cancer prevention or treatment.

Brain health protection

Long-term research shows that people who eat antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries and strawberries have slower rates of decline in thinking and memory as they age. They’re also less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Scientists think the fruit’s antiinflammatory effects play a big role in how berries protect the brain.

Strawberries are found in the produce aisles of most supermarkets. You can also pick your own at farms around Cheshire during their peak season. You can use them in custards, fruit salads, baked goods, and green salads.

Recipe Ideas

- Pancakes with strawberry slices

- Kale salad with goat cheese and slivered almonds

- Top a cheesecake with whole or sliced strawberries

- Stir them into plain yogurt

- Fill with whipped cream or crème fraîche for a dessert