Blueberries are among the healthiest varieties of fruit that people could eat. They are alkaline forming, loaded with essential minerals, relatively low in sugar, packed with a variety of essential phytochemicals and full lots of fiber.
Harvard researchers highlighted blueberries as a ‘superfoods’ for heart health. The scientists claim that the berries are a health food that women should eat daily.
According to new research, women who consume more than three servings of blueberries per week had a 32 percent lower risk of having a heart attack. The flavonoids in the blueberries known as anthocyanins, are the antioxidants that give the fruits part of their many health benefits.
Anthocyanins benefit the endothelial lining of the circulatory system, which can help to stop plaque from building up in arteries and help promote healthy blood pressure.
Researchers in another study have shown these anthocyanins protect against heart disease by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, and essentially strengthening and inhibiting platelet formation.
The scientists added:
“Epidemiological studies suggest that increased consumption of anthocyanins lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the most common cause of mortality among men and women.
Anthocyanins frequently interact with other phytochemicals, exhibiting synergistic biological effects but making contributions from individual components difficult to decipher. Over the past 2 decades, many peer-reviewed publications have demonstrated that in addition to their noted in vitro antioxidant activity, anthocyanins may regulate different signaling pathways involved in the development of CVD.”
