A Fruit Which Gobbles Up Arterial Plaques Against Atherosclerosis Onset

By Kyle J. Norton

Strawberries may be considered a functional food that blocks the plaques accumulated in the arteries, causing atherosclerosis, some scientists suggested.

Atherosclerosis is a medical condition of heart disease characterized by plaque building up in the inner wall of the arteries.

Where arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart and other organs and tissue of the body and plaque is the substance made up mostly with fat, cholesterol, calcium.

According to the statistics, atherosclerosis causes 32% of deaths of heart disease. The prevalent rate of the disease onset among adults of 20 years and above is 13.8%.

Dr. Singh RB, the lead author in the assessment of diet and exercise and lifestyle on risk of atherosclerosis conducted a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial, 621 patients assigned either intervention diet A (group A, 310 patients) or control diet B (group B, 311 patients) for a period of 24 weeks.

Where participants of group A are received: (1) a diet with a higher percentage of calories from fruits and vegetables and complex carbohydrates; (2) a higher polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio diet; and (3) a larger amount of soluble dietary fiber, antioxidant vitamins and minerals and low saturated fat and cholesterol than group fB. Group A patients also did more physical and yogic exercises than group B.

After 24 weeks of intervention, he wrote. ” There was a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol (13.3%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (16.9%), triglycerides (19.2%), fasting blood glucose (19.5%) and blood pressures (11.5/6.2 mm Hg) in the intervention group compared with initial levels and changes in group B”.

These result suggested that a healthy diet accompanied by moderate exercise are the major factors that can substantially reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. In other words, people who follow the Western diet with physical inactivity are at higher risk to the onset of the disease.

Strawberries are a genius of Fragaria × ananassa belonging to the family Roseaceae.

They have been grown all over the world in a suitable climate for commercial profits and health benefits.

The major chemical compounds of strawberry include anthocyanin and ellagitannins and p-Hydroxybenzoic acid, p-coumaric acid, ellagic acid, cyanidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside, kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin.

Intake of strawberry daily to improve the potent antioxidants status in the body can reduce cardiovascular risk factors, such as elevated blood pressure, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and inflammation in limited studies.

Dr. Basu A, the team leader at the Oklahoma State University, Stillwater study showed that freeze-dried strawberry supplementation improves blood pressure, impaired glucose, dyslipidemia, or circulating adhesion molecules in obese subjects with metabolic syndrome, thereby lowering cardiovascular risk factors in these subjects suggested.

The randomized controlled trial included 27 subjects with metabolic syndrome (2 males and 25 females; body mass index, 37.5 +/- 2.15 kg/m(2); age, 47.0 +/- 3.0 years [means +/- SE]) consumed 4 cups of freeze-dried strawberry beverage (50 g freeze-dried strawberries approximately 3 cups fresh strawberries) or equivalent amounts of fluids (controls, 4 cups of water) daily for 8 weeks.

Strawberry supplementation intake significantly decreased total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (5.8 +/- 0.2 to 5.2 +/- 0.2 mmol/L and 3.5 +/- 0.2 to 3.1 +/- 0.1 mmol/L, respectively [means +/- SE], P < .05) and low-density lipoprotein particles compared to controls at the week 8.

Furthermore, strawberry supplementation also decreased circulating levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 vs controls at the end of the study.

The team at the final report said, “short-term freeze-dried strawberry supplementation improved selected atherosclerotic risk factors, including dyslipidemia and circulating adhesion molecules in subjects with metabolic syndrome”.

In additional examing the therapeutic roles of strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries in metabolic syndrome, a prediabetic state characterized by several cardiovascular risk factors, Dr. Basu A said, “strawberries lowering total and LDL-cholesterol, but not triglycerides, and decreasing surrogate biomarkers of atherosclerosis (malondialdehyde and adhesion molecules)”.

Strawberry also extended a lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure and lipid oxidation and improving insulin resistance but in the lesser effect compared to the blueberry

Cranberry juice selectively decreasing biomarkers of lipid oxidation (oxidized LDL) and inflammation (adhesion molecules) in metabolic syndrome compared to lesser effect in those of strawberry.

The tested berries demonstrated a potential effect in up-regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity in the protection of the cardiovascular system, reduction of renal oxidative damage, and inhibition of the activity of carbohydrate digestive enzymes or angiotensin-converting enzyme in controling the blood pressure by regulating the volume of fluids in the blood.

Taken all together, strawberry may be considered a functional food for the prevention of atherosclerosis and combined with the primary therapy for the treatment of the disease.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it’s news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada – Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Reference
(1) The strawberry: composition, nutritional quality, and impact on human health. by Giampieri F, Tulipani S, Alvarez-Suarez JM, Quiles JL, Mezzetti B, Battino M.(PubMed)
(2) Phenolic Composition of Strawberry Genotypes at Different Maturation Stages(ACS Publication)
(3) Strawberries decrease atherosclerotic markers in subjects with metabolic syndrome.
Basu A, Fu DX, Wilkinson M, Simmons B, Wu M, Betts NM, Du M, Lyons TJ.(PubMed)
(4) Strawberries, Blueberries, and Cranberries in the Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Perspectives.
Basu A, Lyons TJ.(PubMed)
(5) Effects of diet and lifestyle changes on atherosclerotic risk factors after 24 weeks on the Indian Diet Heart Study by Singh RB1, Singh NK, Rastogi SS, Mani UV, Niaz MA. (PubMed)